Thousands of people rallied in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, to support the military junta after an alleged coup attempt and comments by an American official criticizing junta leader Ibrahim Traore.
The West African country’s military government said it foiled a “major plot” to overthrow Traore, with the army alleging the plotters were based in neighboring Ivory Coast. Gen. Michael Langley, the head of U.S. military in Africa, accused 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.
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 juntas severed military ties with longstanding Western partners such as the U.S. and France and turned to Russia for military support. In 2023, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger created their own security partnership, known as the Alliance of Sahel States.
Captain Ibrahim Traore was named the transitional president of Burkina Faso in September 2022 and promised to bring security and prosperity to the West African nation. However, since its inception, the junta has struggled to end Burkina Faso’s security challenges, which have led to its takeover in 2022.
According to conservative estimates, more than 60% of the country is now outside of government control, more than 2.1 million people have lost their homes, and almost 6.5 million need humanitarian aid to survive. Human rights groups say the country’s armed forces and militias have committed widespread abuses during counterinsurgency operations, including unlawful killings of civilians accused of supporting Islamist fighters.
