Doctor given army uniform and AK47, sent to battlefield for criticizing Burkinabe President

A medical doctor who criticized the President of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré was arrested and conscripted into the country’s Armed Forces, given a uniform and an AK47 and then sent to the frontline battlefield.

Reports say Dr Ahmed Diallo had openly questioned Captain Traoré and the military’s ability to tackle terrorism and other acts of insecurity effectively in the West African country.

According to a Twitter user, @ZagazOlaMakama who is reported to be a security analyst, Dr. Diallo was arrested and sent to the battlefield to experience terrorism closely since he knew how to handle the situation better.

“In Burkina Faso, a Doctor Criticized the President Captain Ibrahim Traoré that he was incapable of tackling terrorism in the country.

“The doctor was invited and sent to the frontline to see the reality of terrorism closely.

“Do you think Nigerian Military should do the same?” @ZagazOlaMakama wrote.

Photos emerged online showing Dr. Diallo wearing his white laboratory coat with a stethoscope around his neck before the alleged conscription and another one in which he is seen in a military uniform while holding an AK47 gun.

Captain Ibrahim Traoré led a group of soldiers to overthrow Roch Marc Kaboré in January 2022, citing insecurity among other things, and has since been the Burkina Faso President. But apparently, Dr. Diallo didn’t think the president was effectively addressing the problems for which he and his colleagues ousted Kaboré, hence his open criticism.

A 2022 report by Human Rights Watch said there was a marked deterioration in Burkina Faso’s human rights and security situation as attacks and atrocities in 2021 by armed Islamist groups surged, unlawful killings by state security forces and pro-government militias during counterterrorism operations continued, and the humanitarian situation worsened.

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