Why do the West want Burkina Faso's Ibrahim Traoré deposed - or dead?

The South African

a day ago

Burkina Faso's young revolutionary leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, has suddenly become one of the biggest political issues in the world, especially in Africa, trending regularly on social media and increasingly becoming a symbol of resistance on the continent.
If the Western political establishment and their sockpuppet, echo-chamber media is to be believed, Traoré is a tyrannical, gold-thieving warlord clinging to power in Burkina Faso, and running that Western African country into the ground.
Most Africans, however, particularly the youth on the continent, see the charismatic, intelligent, articulate and unapologetically African nationalist 37-year-old leader quite differently – more like an African David standing up to the old colonial Goliath.
In 2022, Burkina Faso (formerly known as Upper Volta) underwent two military coups.
Both were primarily driven by the country's deteriorating security situation and widespread dissatisfaction with the government's inability to address the jihadist insurgency.
For years prior to the 2022 coups, Burkina Faso was plagued by jihadist terror groups (that largely formed after the US-backed overthrow of Libya's Gaddafi), with violent attacks on military personnel and civilians becoming increasingly frequent.
The security crisis worsened significantly in the country, with over 1 500 violent events and 3 800 fatalities projected in 2022, forcing roughly 2 million people to flee their homes.
In January 2022, Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba led a coup partly fueled by the government's inability to contain the growing jihadist threat.
However, Damiba's rule was also marked by ineffectiveness in addressing the security crisis, leading to further instability and frustration among the military and population.
Meanwhile, the people of Burkina Faso had grown tired of being poor in one of the most resource-rich regions on earth, tired of French and American influence, and tired of their corrupt leaders who dutifully took orders from Paris and Washington.
The nationwide discontent led to a second coup in September that same year, this one led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
Born in Bondokuy, western Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Traoré studied geology at the University of Ouagadougou before joining the army in 2010. He gained frontline experience fighting jihadist groups in the country's north and later served in the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali. By 2020, he had risen to Captain and led an artillery unit stationed in Kaya.
His growing frustration with the ruling junta's inability to stem insurgent violence led to Traoré spearheading the coup against interim president Damiba.
In October 2022, Traoré was sworn in as interim president, pledging to restore security and national sovereignty.
The international community expressed concern over the coup, with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union suspending Burkina Faso's membership and imposing sanctions.
Since taking power, Captain Ibrahim Traoré has faced significant challenges, including a deteriorating security situation and economic instability. Despite this, Traoré's leadership in Burkina Faso has been marked by significant initiatives aimed at improving the lives of its citizens.
While his rise to power was unconventional, his commitment and notable strides in providing free education and healthcare has resonated deeply with the Burkinabé people and contributed to the overall well-being of the population.
The West, particularly France, has been vocal in its criticism of Captain Ibrahim Traoré's leadership.
Burkina Faso is rich in natural resources, including gold, which has been a significant contributor to the country's economy. Some articles, analysts and commentators have pointed out that perhaps France's interests in the region's resources may be a factor in its criticism of Captain Traoré's leadership.
But there are other possible reasons…
In January 2023, Burkina Faso put France's military in the country on notice, giving them one month to vacate the African state. In September that year, the country expelled a French military attache for 'subversive activities'. In April 2024 they expelled another 3 French diplomats for the exact same thing.
Traoré's decision to expel French troops from Burkina Faso and seek alternative security partnerships has been perceived as a challenge to France's ongoing influence in the region.
At the same time, Captain Traoré's government has sought to strengthen ties with other nations, including Russia, which has been a significant player in the region. This has only further angered Western colonial, imperial powers who, for centuries, have laid claim to the resources of Burkina Faso – and other countries on the continent.
The US, through AFRICOM General, Michael Langley, also recently accused Traoré and his Junta 'regime' of stealing the country's gold for personal gain – without providing proof.
(Incidentally, if you need a reminder of exactly what AFRICOM and their sprawling network of military bases are doing on the African continent, watch this.)
Since late 2022, the Western political establishment and their media stenographers have been pushing the narrative that the Traoré-led coup has resulted in further instability and uncertainty in Burkina Faso.
The people of Burkina Faso, the entire Sahel region, and indeed most of the continent…beg to differ.
Captain Traoré's anti-colonial sentiments, his commitment to social welfare and his overall defiant and refreshingly unorthodox leadership style – which emphasizes self-reliance and determination – has seen his popularity soar on the African continent, particularly the Sahel region.
His government's decision to expel French troops and seek alternative security partnerships has been seen as a bold move towards asserting Burkina Faso's sovereignty. His introduction of free education and healthcare initiatives has resonated with many Africans.
In an interview with analyst and commentator Kim Iversen in May, journalist-filmmaker-activist (and former campaign advisor to RFK Jr), Theo Wilson, discussed his recent trip to the Sahel where he saw, firsthand, the influence Traoré casts over the region.
Wilson described how he met with locals and recorded testimonies directly from the people living under Traoré's leadership. Almost all of them appeared to adore the young Captain.
'I can tell you the man's shadow looms large over the continent', Wilson told Iversen. 'He is also beloved in countries that have nothing to do with Burkina Faso. To the young people specifically, he embodies the leadership they've been crying out for.'
'They love him', he added. 'In fact, people in the region are asking how come their leaders aren't more like him'.
In a recent analytical video about Ibrahim Traoré, comedian and political/media commentator, Jimmy Dore reminded us of some of the other African leaders who were eventually overthrown or murdered by the West, for merely wanting their people – and not exclusively Western corporations – to benefit from their country's wealth and resources;
Congo's Patrice Lumumba (1961): Murdered by Belgium and the CIA (under orders from then US President Dwight Eisenhower) and his body dissolved in sulfuric acid.
Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah (1966): Overthrown in a US/CIA-backed coup staged by the Ghana Armed Forces and Police Service while Nkrumah was visiting China, which ushered in an era of military rule.
Burkina Faso's Thomas Sankara (1987): Murdered in a bloody military coup organised by Captain Blaise Compaoré and, according to the Italian documentary African Shadows released in 2009, was backed by US and French Secret Service and the CIA.
Libya's Muammar Gaddafi (2011): Tortured and murdered by a NATO-backed terrorist mob (NTC), leading to the collapse of Libya and the rise of jihadi terrorism in the region.
What do all these leaders have in common? What are they guilty of?
Wanting their people to benefit from their country's resources, ahead of Western corporate interests.
After reviewing that list of African leaders overthrown or murdered by the West, Jimmy Dore pointed out, 'They've been doing this since forever. This isn't new.'
He also said, 'The West, the WEF, NATO and the United States (government) do not want us coming together. Not in the US, and not the countries of Africa.'
He added, 'They need to keep us fighting amongst each other…so they can control us.'
As of April 2025, President Ibrahim Traoré has reportedly survived at least 19 assassination attempts since assuming power in 2022.
Perhaps what the West fears the most about Traoré is not his actions, but his words. Because every time the young Captain stands up to give a speech, he stuns the room into reverent silence with hard, unvarnished truths about the West's centuries-old exploitation of Africa.
Notable extracts from some of his speeches include;
In late 2022, Traoré delivered a speech directed at the imperialist countries that have colonised Africa for decades.
He said, 'I am Ibrahim Traoré, and today I'm pulling off your masks.
Every day of my life, I grew up with your lies. As a child, I would watch Africa on television. Always the same images: children with flies, dry lands, weapons…death. This is Africa, they told us. And we believed it. We were ashamed of ourselves, of our own people.
But then, I grew up. I read, I researched, I questioned. And I understood that the Africa you showed us wasn't real, it was a lie. A script you had written for years.
And you still ask…why is Africa poor? No. The right question is how was Africa kept poor while being so rich?
Here's your answer: Colonialism. It didn't end, it changed shape.
You used to rule with the whip, now you rule with credit.'
In June 2025, at the Koulouba Palace in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Traoré addressed citizens and leaders of the AES (Alliance des États du Sahel), a Confederation formed between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
In his speech, Traoré emphasised the seriousness of the threat posed by imperial powers to the unity of the AES.
'Unity is hard, especially in Africa', he said. 'It is difficult to unite, but it is the solution. We must unite.
If I were naive I would ask myself, 'Why do the imperialists not want this union?' But I am not naive. I know why.
Because our country is rich – rich in its people, rich in moral values, but above all, rich in its land. And it is these riches that others desire.
Addressing the UN General Assembly in May this year, Traoré said;
'Africa is not a beggar, not a battlefield, not your experiment, your puppet, your warehouse of raw materials. Africa is rising – not to kneel, but to stand.
For decades, you sent us aid with one hand while extracting our lifeblood with the other. You build wells in our villages while your corporations drain our rivers.
From now on, we will define development on our own terms. Development that puts children in classrooms, not minerals on cargo ships. Development that respects the land, the people and the soul of a nation.
We are a spiritual people. Before your cathedrals, our ancestors sang to the sky. Before your missionaries, we knew the language of the rivers and the laws of the sacred forest.'
Addressing the youth of Africa directly, Traoré said, 'You are the reason we fight. Be proud of your name, your land, your roots. The world may not applaud you now, but the future will speak your name in honour.'
Turning back to the colonial imperialists, Traoré told them, 'Africa is not asking for a seat at your table, we are building our own table – where no child eats last, where no nation is silenced because it lacks nuclear arms, where justice is not filtered through the lens of race or history, but shared…as breath is shared.'
'This is our vision, this is our vow', he added.
'Africa will not kneel.'
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