President Bassirou Faye, what are you doing in France
I remember the first time I landed in Dakar. The light felt like brass on the skin and the air tasted faintly of salt and bissap. On Gorée Island the stones seemed to whisper, and I left with a vow to take Africa’s sovereignty personally. That is why I watched, with sharpened attention, when on 27 August President Bassirou...
The Case for an All-African Army
In 2003, as Darfur was burning, it wasn’t the West or the UN that stepped up. It was the African Union. With the world watching from the sidelines, the Janjaweed militias, armed and emboldened by Sudan’s government, unleashed terror across the region. Villages were razed, families torn apart, and the word ‘genocide’ was whispered in the halls of power....
African Food Sovereignty – A Matter of Life, Death, and Revival
African Food Sovereignty: A Matter of Life, Death, and Revival The African table is set. Not with the hearty, vibrant meals of millet and roasted plantains but with fast food burgers, soda cans, and instant noodles. This tableau of modern convenience, glistening under artificial light, masquerades as a feast but is in reality a raging battleground. The clamor of health...
Traoré’s Growth from a Civilian into a Brave Soldier
In 2009, with a degree in hand and a burning desire to serve his country, Traoré joined the Burkinabè army. This decision wasn’t driven by the desire for glory or personal gain; rather, it stemmed from a profound sense of duty. He believed that through military service, he could contribute to something greater than himself, and protect the country...
Captain Traoré’s role in the coup before the coup
Kaya sits calmly 100 kilometers northeast of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital. It’s the fifth-largest town and home to roughly 100,000 people. In January 2022, Captain Ibrahim Traoré was one of these people. He was part of the Army’s 10th Regiment of Command and Support (10th RCAS) based in Kaya. This town would become the last standing force protecting the...
Powerful lessons for Traoré from the People’s Revolution
What had started as rage in the streets of Ouagadougou became, for Traoré, a revelation. Although just another cog in the machine of Compaoré’s army, the events of October 30th opened his eyes to a deeper truth: the people of Burkina Faso had always held the real power. They were the ones who endured the suffocating poverty, the broken...
Africa’s Soil has been kidnapped by Chemicals and Corruption
The recent exposé on counterfeit subsidized fertilizers being sold to Kenyan farmers has has lifted the lid on the pitfalls of fertilizers. However, this disturbing incident represents merely the tip of an iceberg - a symptom of a deeper, more systemic crisis brewing across Africa's agricultural landscapes. For decades, the widespread use of synthetic fertilizers has been touted as a...
Traoré Witnesses the Chronic Shortcomings of the French Forces
Traore was also concerned that the presence of hundreds of French soldiers in the fight against jihadists hadn’t made a difference. A 2018 military accord between France and Burkina Faso had paved the way for France to send its soldiers to assist in the fight against Islamist insurgents affiliated with al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS). In addition, France had a broader...
Traoré Learns of the Atrocious Attack in the Grand Mosque
Just a few weeks later, on a Friday evening, the jihadists committed an atrocious and sacrilegious attack. They stormed the Grand Mosque in the village of Salmossi and killed fifteen worshippers. Fifteen people, executed in their place of worship. The image burned into Traore’s mind. He could almost hear the gunfire that must have shattered the serenity of Friday...
How Burkina Faso’s 2014 Revolution Shaped Ibrahim Traoré
October 30, 2014. Dust and smoke hung like a cloud in Ouagadougou’s hot streets. Burnt shells and tear gas canisters littered the crowded streets. Smoke curled into the sky like distant storm clouds. In the streets below, thousands surged, fueled by a deep desire to dismantle President Blaise Compaoré's nearly three-decade rule. The President wanted a constitutional amendment to...
