29-7-2025
Burkina Faso has accused Cote d’Ivoire of assassinating social activist Alain Christophe Traore a.k.a Alino Faso.
Alino Faso who was accused by the Ivorian authorities of spying died in custody last weekend and it was claimed by Cote d’Ivoire he died by suicide.
According to a statement from Ivorian public prosecutor Oumar Braman Koné, Alino Faso “hanged himself using his bedsheet, after an unsuccessful attempt to cut his wrists”.
The Burkina Faso citizen died in a military facility where he had been detained since January when he was arrested.
Burkina Faso’s information minister said the government “rejects the suicide theory”, while Traoré’s supporters have accused Ivory Coast of carrying out “a cover-up for political repression”.
The 44-year-old Alino Faso was active on social media with 400,000 followers. He is a known supporter of Burkina Faso military leader Ibrahim Traore and other juntas in the West African region.
According to BBC reports many of Traoré’s supporters allege that Cote d’Ivoire a member of ECOWAS, wanted to silence Traoré over his dissent against the bloc.
In response to the activist’s death, Burkinabé Foreign Minister Karamoko Jean Marie Traoré called for “full light to be shed on this tragedy” and demanded the body be repatriated to Burkina Faso.
He criticised the Ivorian authorities for announcing Traoré’s death in a public statement on social media, and allegedly not contacting his family first.
“There is a great deal of contempt, a lack of respect and courtesy for the authorities and the people of Burkina Faso, and it is even more so for the family of the deceased who discovered such painful news on social media,” the foreign minister said.
Ivorian public prosecutor has said investigations into the “motives and circumstances” of Traoré’s “suicide” were under way.
Traore has been living in Abidjan since 2021 with his family.