The President of Burkina Faso attends the graduation of a new class of officers for the armed forces.
Ahmed Salem
The President of Burkina Faso, Head of State and Supreme Commander of the National Armed Forces, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, presided over the official graduation ceremony of the 25th class of non-commissioned officers serving at the Georges Namounou Military Academy on Saturday evening, July 25.
This year, the solemn ceremony that concludes the officers' training was held at the site of the new academy, which is still under construction.
New uniform for graduating officers
The graduates of the twenty-fifth class proudly wore a new uniform made of traditional gourmanchi fabric, an apron worn at the end of the initiation rites in eastern Burkina Faso.
According to the President of Burkina Faso, the construction of the new academy reflects the desire to build a strong, homegrown army to face a brutal world.
As for the commander of the National Gendarmerie Academy, Lieutenant Colonel William Desmond Paguera, this new academy is “a symbol of national pride” and the fulfillment of the promise made by the head of state who ordered its construction.
National Gendarmerie Academy
Through this ceremony, the National Gendarmerie Academy is graduating 217 new second lieutenants to serve in Burkina Faso and nine other African countries: Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Djibouti, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Chad, and Togo. The Burkina Faso contingent in this year's graduating class of the National Gendarmerie Academy comprises 199 officers.
The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, General Moussa Diallo, called on the new lieutenants to demonstrate integrity and loyalty to their country. He urged them to reject “habit, arrogance, corruption, and treason.”.
Lieutenant Sawadogo Alexander Bienvenu's batch
And Lieutenant General Kassim Coulibaly excelled. The President of the State named the twenty-fifth graduating class of the National Gendarmerie Military Academy “the Lieutenant Sawadogo Alexandre Bienvenu Class” in honor of this brave officer who was martyred while performing his duty for his country in February 2022.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces urged the new lieutenants to be leaders, mentors, and protectors of the people's hope.
The head of state said: “Be worthy of your choice, for power is not imposed, but earned,” calling on the officers to show courage and commitment to the vision of the progressive popular revolution.
According to the class representative, Second Lieutenant Abdullah Cedric Key, the specialized, diverse and challenging training they received during their studies at the National Gendarmerie Military Academy will enable them to practice the noble profession of arms and lead forces.
