In a world where loyalty is often weighed against wealth, the words of a presidential bodyguard in Burkina Faso have stunned both supporters and skeptics alike. Tasked with protecting President Ibrahim Traoré, the bodyguard recently revealed that he was offered $5 million—along with foreign citizenship—for assassinating the young leader while he prayed. But instead of yielding to temptation, he chose dignity over dollars, integrity over infamy.
“They presented me $5 million to shoot Ibrahim Traoré in the back while he bent to pray to Allah,” he said in a statement that has since gone viral. “They even promised citizenship for my entire family. They called it ‘an offer I could not refuse.’”
The offer—shrouded in cold, transactional language—was not just an attempt at political sabotage. It was a test of faith, both personal and national. And it was resolutely rejected.
A Betrayal Scripted in Greed
Traoré, Burkina Faso’s interim president and a former army captain, rose to power in 2022 through a coup that promised to restore dignity and sovereignty to a nation wracked by terror and foreign interference. Since assuming office, he has positioned himself as a fierce critic of Western neocolonialism, challenging the influence of France and asserting a pan-African vision grounded in self-reliance and anti-imperialism.
This agenda, while earning him admiration across Africa and beyond, has also made him a target.
According to the bodyguard, the bribe was extended by unknown actors “from a foreign country” whose identity he declined to reveal. What was clear, however, was their intent: to exploit a sacred moment of vulnerability, when Traoré would be kneeling in prayer—facing Mecca, eyes closed, heart exposed.
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