Captain Ibrahim Traoré’s rule in Burkina Faso is viewed in starkly different lights: to admirers online, he is a bold revolutionary standing up to France; to critics, he is an autocrat tightening his grip on power. Since seizing control in 2022, Traoré has sidelined elections, reshaped alliances with Mali, Niger, and Russia, and pushed out Burkina Faso’s former colonial ruler, France.
Yet, his promise to defeat terrorism remains unfulfilled as violence continues to ravage the country. Meanwhile, social media celebrates Traoré’s anti-Western stance and vision of pan-African sovereignty, portraying him as a modern-day Thomas Sankara.
This comes amid crackdowns on dissent and sweeping new laws that criminalize same-sex relationships and punish government critics. According to experts, Traoré’s soaring popularity stems from people’s need for a savior, a phenomenon that is widespread across the broader Sahel region.