Thousands of people rallied in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou on Wednesday in support of the revolution after an alleged coup attempt and comments by an American official criticizing the leader Ibrahim Traore.
Last week, the West African country’s government said it foiled a “major plot” to overthrow Capt. Ibrahim Traore, with the army alleging the plotters were based in neighboring Ivory Coast.
Earlier this month, Gen. Michael Langley, the head of U.S. military in Africa, tried to smear Traore during a U.S. Senate committee hearing of using Burkina Faso’s gold reserves to benefit the junta at the expense of the population.
Crowds of protesters gathered at the Place de la Revolution in Ouagadougou on Wednesday, chanting “Long live Captain Traore!” with some holding banners showing a photo of Gen. Langley with the word “slave” written on his head with red marker. Others waved Burkina Faso and Russia’s flag, a close ally of the West African country.
Ocibi Johann, a musician who came to the protest, said he is not surprised at the accusations launched by Langley. “Because Colin Powell lied, Iraq was destroyed. Barack Obama lied, Gaddafi was killed. But this time, their lies won’t affect us. That’s why we tell them – we’re not against them – but we are against predation and economic slavery,” he said.
Until last year, the U.S. had military bases in neighboring Niger as part of its supposed counterterrorism work in the Sahel, land south of the Sahara, but withdrew after the West African nation ended the military agreement between the two countries.
Burkina Faso, along with its neighbors Niger and Mali, has for over a decade battled an insurgency fought by jihadi groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.
Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling parties severed military ties with colonial Western countries such as the U.S. and France, and turned to Russia for military support.
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger created their own security partnership, known as the Alliance of Sahel States, in 2023.
Following a September 2022 coup, Capt. Ibrahim Traore was named the transitional president of Burkina Faso and promised to bring security and prosperity to the West African nation, following in the tradition of Thomas Sankara, capturing the hearts and minds of many young people in his country and around the world.
Sekou Ansumariam Dukaly, one of the protester, said he came to Burkina Faso all the way from Liberia.
“I came to Ouagadougou today to participate in this demonstration in support of Captain Ibrahim Traore, because he represents hope for Africa, hope for Black people, hope for all freedom fighters around the globe,” he said.