Why the Burkina -fos junta leader captured the hearts and minds around the world

The charismatic 37-year-old Burkina-Faso Military Director Capt Ibrahm Traior skillfully built a Panopic leader who decided to release his nation from what he believes as a western imperialism and non-colonialism.

His message resonated all over Africa and beyond, and his supporters saw him in the footsteps of African heroes, such as his own Thomas Sankara Burkin -Phasa, a Marxist revolutionary, sometimes called “Che Guevara” of Africa.

“The influence of the traior is huge. I have even heard politicians and authors in countries such as Kenya (in East Africa), they say,” That’s all. He is a man, “BBC said Bverley Ochieng, a senior researcher at the World Advisory Firm.

“His messages reflect the age in which we live when many Africans question the West, and why in such a continent, a rich resource,” she said.

Following the capture of power in the coup in 2022, the traor regime threw France’s former colonial power in favor of a strong union with Russia, which included the deployment of a Russian paramilitary brigade and adopted the left economic policy.

This included the creation of a state mining company, which requires foreign firms to give it 15% of shares in local operations and to convey Burkinab people skills.

The rule is also applied to the Russian miner NordgoldReceived license at the end of April for the last investment in the Burkina -fos gold industry.

As part of the fact that traior calls the “revolution” to ensure the benefit of Burkin -fos from its mineral wealth, the junta also builds a gold refinery and for the first time in the country’s history.

However firms owned by Western property After lifting the license for exploration.

The junta also nationalized two gold mines that had previously belonged to the London firm and stated that more foreign mines were planning to take control of the last month.

Enoch Randy Eikins, Researcher of the South African Security Research Institute, said the BBC that Radical Reforms has increased its popularity in Africa.

“Now he is perhaps the most popular if not beloved in Africa,” Mr. Eikins said.

Its popularity is fueled through social media, including a lot to enter into deceptive positions aimed at strengthening its revolutionary image.

Ai-generated video music stars like R Kelly, Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Biones see him all the time through the song – though they did nothing like.

Ms. Ochieng said that traior first caught the attention of Africans when he performed at the Russian African summit in 2023, telling the African leaders “to stop behaving as puppets that dance every time the imperialists pull the strings.”

This speech was widely announced by the Russian media, which became the main player in the promotion of the Panapican image of the traor.

Due to its rhetoric and pushing for a smooth campaign on social media, its appeal has spread around the world, including among African Americans and black Britons, said Ms. Ochieng.

“Anyone who has experienced racism, colonialism and slavery can contact his reports,” said Ms. Ochieng, emphasizing that African -American rapper Meck Mil Mil placed about him at the end of last year, saying how much he liked his “energy and heart” – although he was deprived Faso and then set up the position.

But the French president is not a supporter who describes the traior as part of the “Baroque Alliance between the self-proclaimed Ponophicans and the neo-imperialists.”

Emmanuel Macron also referred to Russia and China, which he accused, In the 2023 speechCausing coup in the former French colonies in Africa and hypocritically firing old arguments over sovereignty and colonial exploitation.

The popularity of the traior comes, despite the fact that he has not fulfilled his promise to stop the 10-year Islamist uprising, which caused ethnic divisions and has now spread to once-oriented neighbors like Benin.

Its junta was also angry with dissent, including opposition, media and civil groups and punished critics, including doctors and magistrates, sending them to The front lines of war against jihadists.

For Rinald Depan Deputy Director of Africa International Analytical Group of the Crisis Group Traior provides such support because “he is young in a country with a young population” – The average age is 17.7 years.

“He is experienced in the media and uses the past to create its popularity as a reincarnation of the Sankara,” he said to the BBC.

“And he knows the art of politics – how to make a nation fully injured by war, feeling that there is a better future. It is really good in this game.”

Sankara rose to power in the coup in 1983 at the age of 33, rallied the nation under the motto “Fatherland or death, we will win!” And killed in four years in another coup, which returned Burkin to the political orbit of France before the capture of power.

Ghana’s Security Analyst Professor Qui Anning, who previously worked at the International Training Center Kofi Annan, said the popularity of the military leader reflected the political change that took place on the continent, especially in West Africa.

A 2024 poll in 39 African countries showed a drop in support of democracyAlthough it remained the most popular form of control.

“Democracy failed to give hopes for the youth. She did not deliver jobs and did not receive better education and health,” Professor Aning said at the BBC.

He said that traior “offered an alternative and re -copied the spirit of two historical eras”:

It was Trau that stole the show At the inauguration of President Ghana John Maham in January, when he arrived in a fighting rise with a gun in Kabur.

“There were already 21 heads of state, but when the traor entered, the place caught fire. Even the guards of my president followed him,” said Professor Aning.

Traura suggested a sharp contrast image of some of the other leaders who fought for the move, but clung to power, falsifying the election, he said.

“The traior is stylish and sure with a very open face and a small smile. He is also a powerful speaker and represents himself as a people.”

A sign that his Russian junta has made some progress on the economic front, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, in general, gave a general assessment.

In a statement in early AprilThe IMF noted that despite the “complex humanitarian and safe” environment, the economy will remain “reliable” in 2025, and the regime has made “commendable progress” in attracting domestic revenue containing the cost of public salary and increasing education, health and social protection.

As for the World Bank, it states that inflation has grown From 0.7% in 2023 to 4.2% in 2024, but the extreme poverty level, which refers to people who live less than $ 2.15 (1.61 pounds) per day, decreased by almost two percent to 24.9% from “reliable growth” in the agriculture and services sector.

Despite these reports from the US financial institutions, relations with France and America were frosty.

A recent example is the claim of the US team in Africa, General Michael Langley, who used the traior Burkina -Faso Gold Stocks for Protecting his junta, not the benefit of the country.

It seemed like a link to a long -term view of the United States and some of its African allies that the Russian forces support the traior in exchange for the Burkin -Faso Gold Industry – undermining the image of the military leader as a leader who expelled French troops in 2023 to return the country’s sovereignty.

The comments of the Langlee gene made in early April during the hearing of the US Senate Committee caused a shock to the captain supporters who thought their hero was oiled.

It was still further when soon after that, Burkinab said He broke off the coupclaiming that the conspirators were on the nearby ivory coast – where the Langlee gene visited.

Cat -die the coast denied to participate in any plot Command in Africa’s US stated” – including” cruel extremism “.

But the junta took the opportunity to organize one of his biggest actions in the Burkin capital -fos on the occasion that the “imperialists” and their “Khanit” tried to knock down the captain.

“As Colin Powell lied, Iraq was destroyed. Barack Obama lied, Gaddafi was killed. But this time, their lie did not affect us,” said Okib Johann, the Associated Press.

The rallies in Solidarity with the traior were also held abroad, including in London, the same day.

After that he went to social media, Location in French and EnglishTo express their gratitude to them for sharing their vision “for the new Burkina Faso and New Africa”, adding: “Together, in solidarity, we will defeat imperialism and non-colonialism for free, worthy and sovereign Africa.”

It is impossible to say how it will end for the young captain, but he – together with military leaders in Mali and Niger – certainly swayed Western Africa, and other states followed their example, ordered to leave the French forces.

Three military neighbors also left the regional trading and safe ecowas group, formed their own alliance and completed free trade in the region, announcing the introduction of 0.5% tariffs for goods coming to their countries.

Mr. Eikins said that traior could study in others, noting that when Rowling took power at the age of 32, he was known as the “younger Jesus”, but after 19 years he left an ambiguous heritage – he was unable to stop corruption, despite the fact that he helped to create a “solid” democracy.

For a “solid heritage”, Mr. Eyksins said, traior should focus on the achievements of peace and construction of strong government agencies to lead to good governance rather than “personalization” of power and hacking from dissent.