From soldier to Symbol: How Ibrahim Traoré is becoming Africa's most loved and unapologetic leader

Business Insider

03-05-2025

He came to power on September 30, 2022, after conducting a military coup that deposed then-interim president Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who had himself gained office in a coup just eight months earlier in January 2022.
Ibrahim Traoré's rise to power and popularity
Traoré is an artillery officer who had served in the army's counterterrorism operations against jihadist insurgents plaguing Burkina Faso and the Sahel region.
He led the second military coup in 2022, ousting Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who had previously come to power in a January 2022 coup.
He and fellow officers accused the previous leadership of failing to deal effectively with the country's worsening security situation.
Since assuming power, Traoré has positioned himself as a revolutionary figure using anti-colonial and Pan-Africanist language, gaining inspiration from Burkina Faso's legendary former leader, Thomas Sankara.
More than just a presentation, the revolutionary leader has demonstrated his anti-colonial sentiments.
In the 3 years since being interim leader of the West African country, Ibrahim Traoré has been on a rapid campaign to rid his country of any traces of Western influence.
This has been done by nationalizing local wealth and expelling French soldiers from Burkina Faso, noting that they wish to tackle their security problem independently.
In place of French partnerships, the radical leader has opted instead for Russian friendship.
In his administration so far, these moves have gathered for him a very high (unofficial) approval rating, not just in Burkina Faso, but across Africa, and amongst Africans in diaspora.
Ibrahim Traoré's economic reforms
As alluded to earlier, Burkina Faso is aiming for more control over its resources, and as such, has changed its mining legislation, creating a new state mining corporation, Société de Participation Minière du Burkina (SOPAMIB).
This move immediately scored points with people who have been advocating for a pro-national government where the country's wealth is distributed primarily within its borders.
Burkina Faso utilized SOPAMIB to obtain control of two industrial gold mines formerly controlled by a London-listed Endeavour Mining.
In April 2025, Burkina Faso's military-led government granted an industrial mining license to the Russian company Nordgold for a new gold project.
This move is projected to contribute 51.5 billion CFA francs ($89 million) to Burkina Faso's state budget over its lifespan, along with an additional 7.06 billion CFA francs to the country's mineral wealth fund, according to the Council of Ministers.
Earlier in April, Burkina Faso noted that it aims to gain more control over foreign-owned industrial mines, and by extension, a larger share of revenue from its natural resources.
This development underscore Burkina Faso's ongoing shift toward economic nationalism under its current leadership.
While the long-term outcomes remain to be seen, the push for sovereignty over natural wealth represents a significant realignment in Burkina Faso's approach to economic governance and foreign investment.
Ibrahim Traoré's geopolitical stance
Burkina Faso has been locked in a deadly conflict with Islamist militants since 2015, and as a result, had called for international assistance to combat the issue.
However, since taking power, Ibrahim Traoré had expelled said foreign backers, noting that they had been very ineffective in dealing with the security challenge.
In January 2023, the 400-member Operation Sabre, which was sent in 2009 to combat armed organizations such as al-Qaeda in the area, was given a one-month ultimatum to leave the nation.
This decision was made to create a self-sustaining security infrastructure, which so far has come with some drawbacks.
2024 alone saw the country suffer 5 of the most deadly t errorist attacks in Africa.
Nevertheless, the Burkina Faso leader insists on finding help outside of an institution that had historically colonized its people.
Currently, Burkina Faso is looking at military cooperation with Russia, and negotiations are showing positive signs.
Fuel to Ibrahim Traoré's popularity
While many knew of the wave of approval trailing Artica's youngest president, his popularity as a whole became evident during the inauguration of the Ghanaian president John Mahama, on the 7th of January, 2025.
During the ceremony, the Burkina Faso leader stormed the stage with a pistol strapped to his holster.
This was an interesting way to come to congratulate a fellow African head of state, and as a result, sparked some banter on social media.
But what truly caught everyone's attention was the round of applause that accompanied his arrival.
On that day, many social media users were introduced to the revolutionary West African leader, who had organically garnered the love of many Africans.
Since then, it has been an accepted rhetoric on social media that Ibrahim Traoré is one of the most pro-African heads of states in the modern era.
Subsequently, Traoré's popularity would peak after Gen. Michael Langley, the head of the U.S. military in Africa, declared publicly during a U.S congressional hearing that the Burkina Faso president had become a threat to peace, using his gold to shield himself.
This, of course, did not bode well with young Africans who have begun to embrace him as the ideal image of a true African leader, and more than just a conversation online, people have taken to the streets to express their love and support for the man, calling for his protection.
As recently as April 30th, large crowds of demonstrators gathered at Ouagadougou's Place de la Revolution, chanting, "Long live Captain Traore!" Some of them had banners that displayed a picture of Gen. Langley with the word "slave" scrawled in red marker on his head.
Others carried the flags of Russia, a key friend of the West African nation, and Burkina Faso.
It also did not help that the military government of Burkina Faso reported shortly before the demonstrations that a 'major plot' to overthrow the junta leader had been foiled.
This has led to whispers that some foreign groups are plotting to depose the West African leader as a result of his anti-Western initiatives.
Captain Ibrahim Traoré is no longer just the leader of a small, landlocked West African nation; for some, he has become a symbol of resistance, independence, and Pan-African pride.
Whether he is remembered as a liberator or a controversial figure will depend on how the tides of history unfold, but one thing is certain: Traoré's actions, as presently constructed, have sparked a continental conversation, and possibly, a movement.