Burkina Faso has doubted the version provided by Ivorian authorities regarding the demise of the social activist Alain Christophe Traoré (Alino Faso) and has decided to conduct its own investigation.
The activist, who was 32-44 years old, was reported killed in his jail in Abidjan on July 24, 2025, and the local police claimed that he had strangled himself to death. However, Burkina Faso is of the opinion that this explanation “does not fit” the character of Mr. Traoré and therefore presume that he might have been beaten and tortured.
The tragedy, which has become a scandal in Burkina Faso, has seen a throng of people dressed in white garments marching from the Thomas Sankara Memorial to the Ivory Coast embassy, holding placards with the message “Justice for Alain” and demanding to be heard.
These societies of the concerned people have expressed their disbelief in the story presented by Ivorians and have found contradictions in the official version of events.
The diplomatic relations between these two countries have fallen so low that it is difficult to mend them now. The minister of foreign affairs of Burkina Faso has sent a formal request for full transparency, along with the immediate return of the deceased Traoré, and complete access to the samples taken by the autopsy.
The Burkinabe judge has been selected to oversee a bona fide inquiry into the matter of Traoré's confinement and death.
Traoré was in a prison since January 2025 on allegations of spying for a foreign power, and plotting against the government, which his supporters, and human rights groups maintained were fabricated to silence his dissent.
Besides, the authorities have regretted that the news of his demise was only made public through social media three days after the occurrence. This process has drawn a magnifying glass over the issue of human rights and the way the activists are treated in West Africa.
