Staff Reporter

Captain Ibrahim Traoré, Burkina Faso’s military leader has formally welcomed approximately 700 individuals from the African diaspora, including African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, and Afro-Europeans in a major Welcome Home event aimed at bolstering Pan-African unity and national development.

In a move intended to ease the return and resettlement of the diaspora, Captain Traoré announced the immediate lifting of the financial requirement for obtaining permanent residency in Burkina Faso, allowing the visitors to live and work in the country without the previous monetary barrier.

Addressing the assembled group, whom he dubbed “700 ambassadors of Burkina Faso,” Traoré framed the nation’s ongoing struggle as one for the dignity of all black people and a fight against neocolonialism.

“Burkina Faso is not just fighting for its freedom and development; it is also fighting for Africa and the dignity of black people,” Traoré stated. He revealed the Pan-African and universal significance of the country’s mission, asserting that Africans are the most resilient in the history of humanity due to their resistance to foreign dominance.

The event, sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a Burkinabé Institute, is part of a broader push to encourage the return of the diaspora to contribute to the continent’s progress.

Captain Traoré promised government support for the new residents to invest in key economic sectors, specifically mentioning agriculture, food processing, and energy.

He also highlighted the need to establish a Pan African television and radio station in Burkina Faso, a proposal that aligns with his government’s emphasis on controlling its own narrative.

Among the prominent visitors was Zimbabwean online activist and former African Union ambassador to the US, Arikana Chihombori-Quao, who has been actively mobilizing support for Captain Traoré and the Pan-African return movement.