Colonel Festus Aboagye: Little danger from Captain Traoré greeting President Mahama while armed

Security analyst Colonel (rtd) Festus Aboagye has dismissed public concerns over Burkina Faso's leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, greeting President John Dramani Mahama while visibly armed during Tuesday's Presidential swearing-in ceremony in Accra.

Captain Traoré’s attendance, alongside other dignitaries such as Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and Benin’s President Patrice Talon, came amid strained relations within ECOWAS. Despite Burkina Faso signalling its intent to leave the bloc, his presence was seen as a step towards reconciliation.  

Col. Aboagye, speaking to Citi News, clarified that Captain Traoré carrying a sidearm during the ceremony was pre-arranged and posed minimal risk.

“At the diplomatic level, when a head of state, like Captain Traoré, has been invited, his protocol, state protocol, and Ghana’s protocol, foreign affairs to foreign affairs, would have discussed how this head of state was going to attend the ceremony, dressed in his normal camouflage and carrying his sidearm,” he explained.  

He added that such arrangements would have been agreed upon by both nations. “If the two states, Ghana and Burkina Faso, agree—and that is my assumption—that he did not arrive carrying his sidearm, but a discussion had taken place and there had been consensus between Burkina Faso and Ghana that that Head of State would arrive wearing his sidearm or carrying his sidearm.”  

Col. Aboagye also addressed fears of potential misuse of the weapon, noting that the event's security was robust. “The only danger could have been that if it was not, hopefully… secure on his belt and somebody then snatched the weapon. That other person could have used the weapon to do a bit of damage, but around the dais, there was nobody who was going to have access to the people on the dais or wherever he was sitting. The whole place was riddled with security.”  

The ceremony, which drew high-profile leaders despite ongoing tensions, highlighted President Mahama’s reputation as a unifying figure. According to Col. Aboagye, the presence of Captain Traoré and other leaders reflected the expectations placed on Mahama to help reconcile the fractured ECOWAS bloc.  

“It shows in one breath that diplomatic skills have to give the credit to President John Mahama. Because everybody who came, came because of him—what they knew of him, what they expect of him,” Col. Aboagye remarked.