BURKINA FASO - TWO IMET GRADUATES PROMOTED TO CHOD AND ARMY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 OUAGADOUGOU 000544 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/08/2019 TAGS: MASS MCAPS PREL UV SUBJECT: BURKINA FASO - TWO IMET GRADUATES PROMOTED TO CHOD AND ARMY CHIEF OF STAFF Classified By: CDA Samuel C. Laeuchli for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The President of Burkina Faso announced on July 8 that he was reshuffling his Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Chief of Defense (CHOD),Brigadier General Ali Traore was promoted to Major General and rotated out of his CHOD responsibilities, while the Chief of Staff of the Army was named as new CHOD. Colonel Major Lougue was promoted to Army Chief of staff. Both the new CHOD and the new Army Chief of Staff are graduates of U.S. military programs. End Summary. ¶2. (C) On July 1st, President Compaore announced that Ali Traore, current CHOD was promoted from Brigadier to Major General. On July 8 the Presidency subsequently announced that following his promotion Traore was relieved of his duties as CHOD pending a reassignment. While no official announcement has been made indicating where Traore might be re-assigned, rumors are that he may be appointed to an Ambassadorship, possibly to a Muslim country, and perhaps to Saudi Arabia. It is thought that the President will make the Ambassadorship announcement at a later date. Traore was due to retire in the next 18-24 months so this change in duty assignment is normal procedure to ensure continuity in the Joint Chiefs. ¶3. (C) Burkina Faso's military ranks are based on the French military system. A Brigadier General/ General de Brigade is a two-star and a Major General / General de Division is a three-star. Burkina Faso currently has five General Officers broken down as follows: four Brigadier Generals and one Major General. The Burkinabe also have the rank of Colonel Major, an intermediary rank between Colonel and Brigadier General. ¶4. (C) In order to fill the CHOD vacancy, the President announced the nomination of current Army Chief of Staff Brigadier General Dominique Djendjere to that position. Colonel Major Lougue was appointed as the new Army Chief of Staff. Biographical information on all three promotions follows below. Djendjere and Lougue are both graduates of Internal Military Education Training (IMET) programs in the U.S. and speak fluent English. ¶5. (C) Ali Traore, Air Force Major General, DOB: 14 November 1950, Married 1972-1974 Mathematics Degree in France (University of Mans) 1974-1978 Pilot training in France (Salons de Provence) 1978-1982 Chief of Operations of Air Base 1982-1983 Chief of General operations at the Air Base 1988-1989 Chief of Military Staff of the President of Burkina Faso 1990 War College in France 1992 Chief of Air Operations at the Joint Staff 1992-1999 Chief of Staff of the Air Force 1999-2000 Deputy Chief of Defense 2000-2009 Chief of Defense ¶6. (C) Dominique Djendjere, Army Brigadier General, DOB: 8 January 1954, Married, three children 1975-1978 Officer training in Morocco (Royal Academy of Mecknes) 1978 Second Lieutenant 1979-1980 Fort Belvoir, Engineer Officer Basic Course 1981-1982 Aide de Camp to President Saye Zerbo 1982-1987 Battalion Unit Commander for Army Corps of Engineers 1987-1989 Commander of the first military region of Burkina Faso 1989-1991 Director of the Army Corps of Engineers 1991 Fort Leonardwood, Engineer Officer Advance Course 1992-1994 Commander of the Fourth Military Region of Burkina Faso 1994-1998 Deputy Army Chief of Staff 1998-1999 French Combined Senior War College 1999 Army Chief of Staff 2001 Africa Center for Strategic Studies student / ACSS (Accra) 2003 Africa Center for Strategic Studies student (Dakar) 2004 Africa Center for Strategic Studies student (Washington DC) ¶7. (C) Kodio Lounge, Colonel Major, DOB: 1957, Married, Three children 1976 Officer Candidate School in Algeria 1977 Second Lieutenant 1978 Military School in Yaound, Cameroon 1979-1980 Fort Benning, Infantry Officer Basic Course 1980-1982 Deputy Commander of Commando Infantry Battalion (Thiou) 1982 Commander of Commando Infantry Battalion (Djibo) 1983-1984 Deputy Director of Instruction Unit of Armed Forces (Bobo) 1985 Commander of Second military district 1989 Commander of First military region 1993 PKO mission in Togo 1991-1992 Fort Leavenworth, Army Command & General Staff 1996-1997 French Combined Senior War College 1997 Chief of Operations Division Joint Chiefs 1999 Canadian Peace Keeping Training 1999 Commanding Officer of Central Army Regiment 2000 National Defense College on India 2009 Chief of Staff of the Army LAEUCHLI