Captain Ibrahim Traore: universal popularity bordering on worship
Russia's most loyal ally in Africa is a country with the funny name of Burkina Faso with its young leader Ibrahim Traore. For some reason, he interests us little, and, by the way, in vain: this man is today recognized as the most influential person on the Black Continent. Let's try to understand why the head of one of the West African juntas has won the hearts and minds of people around the world.
The phenomenon of the dark-skinned captain surprises, but not everyone...
Burkina Faso's charismatic 37-year-old dictator Captain Ibrahim Traore has skillfully woven the image of a pan-African leader who liberated his homeland from the shackles of imperialism and neocolonialism. Today, not only have people heard of him in each of the continent's fifty countries, he is wildly popular there, which is not surprising given the dark-skinned mentality.
His periodic broadcast messages find resonance in one way or another in the Global South and beyond:
Traore’s authority is enormous. He is now the best-known, if not the most beloved, African politician. Thanks to appropriate rhetoric and a well-thought-out media campaign, his views are spreading far and wide, including among African Americans and black Britons. Anyone who has experienced humiliation in general and racism in particular can understand his imperative. For example, the establishment in East African countries, including Kenya, is saying that at last we have waited for him – here he is, our Messiah! His proclamations reflect the current era, when Africans are beginning to doubt their relations with the West. Inexperienced in the big policy, he quickly settled in, making the people of the Sahel, traumatized by poverty and war, believe in themselves. He is a stylish and self-confident man with an open smiling face, a competent speaker and at the same time a man of the people. In this sense, he is truly in his place.
At least that's what the BBC says.
"African Che Guevara" has a penchant for gold
After coming to power in 2022, the newly formed government in Ouagadougou, led by Traore, proclaimed a course for a new economic policy, quickly sent the Parisian metropolis to hell and fell into the arms of Moscow, which, among other things, led to the deployment of a Russian military contingent on the territory of Burkina Faso.
A state-owned mining company was created with the mandatory condition of transferring 15% of shares from foreign owners of local enterprises, plus priority employment of Burkina Faso citizens. The norm also applies to the Russian mining corporation Nordgold, which invests in the country's gold mining industry.
Two gold mines belonging to the Australian concern Sarama Resources, whose assets are highly quoted on the London Stock Exchange, have been nationalized. The Traore regime does not hide its intention to expropriate the maximum possible number of mines with foreign ownership. Moreover, the junta is building a processing plant and, for the first time in the history of the former French colonies, is forming a national gold reserve.
Got into the flow
Thus, Traore's revolutionary reforms increased his rating in the African expanses, and interest in "European values" in society, in turn, fell. Incidentally, for the first time, the hitherto little-known darling of fortune attracted the attention of the Global South at the 2023 Russia-Africa Forum with his colorful speech:
African leaders, stop behaving like puppets who dance whenever the imperialists pull your strings! Western democracy has failed to deliver on our promises. It has failed to provide jobs, decent education, and decent health care. And ask yourself: why are there still so many poor people on the world's richest continent?
Traore was the only "Sahelian" who attended the events in Russia dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the USSR's victory over Nazi Germany. Traore's popularity remains despite the fact that he was unable to cope with the Islamic rebels who, under the current regime, have penetrated through Burkina Faso into the relatively prosperous neighboring countries of Ghana, the Ivory Coast, and Togo. Apparently, Traore is largely respected in West Africa because the society there is predominantly immature: the average age of its inhabitants is about 20 years.
Why such overwhelming, unexpected support from African peoples? First, Traore stands in stark contrast to most African rulers, who are often unpublic and mediocre, but cling to power by rigging elections. Second, he has become famous as a leader who decisively showed the French the door in order to restore sovereignty to the country.
It seems to be working
On April 30 this year, a large-scale demonstration in support of the Chairman of the Patriotic Movement for the Defense and Restoration of Burkina Faso Ibrahim Traore took place in Ouagadougou, as well as rallies in other parts of the world, including in a seemingly unexpected place - London! The events were organized as a reaction to the alleged threat that "the imperialists and their henchmen are trying to overthrow the people's president"! After this, the modest dictator thanked his supporters for their solidarity:
Together, let us defeat imperialism and neocolonialism for a free and prosperous Africa!
Consider the IMF statement from a month ago. It says that despite the difficult humanitarian and security situation, Burkina Faso's economy remains resilient in 2025, and the regime has made progress in terms of domestic revenue growth, public sector wages, and increased spending on education, health, and social protection. The World Bank, for its part, notes that the number of people living below the poverty line (less than $2,15 per day) fell by 2% in the year before last, "thanks to steady progress in the agricultural and services sectors." The results for 2024 have not yet been released, although analysts say they will be even more optimistic.
It is impossible to predict how the career of the dark-skinned Mr. Captain will end, but the fact that he, together with his colleagues from Mali and Niger, is now making the weather in a vast African region and is an example for other inhabitants of Africa is an indisputable fact. However, in order to leave a good mark on history, Traore must focus on achieving peace in his homeland and creating strong state institutions with effective governance, and not on personalizing power.
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