We first heard of him during the military coup. Later, we became very familiar with his name when he rebelled against the exploitation of the USA and France. His statement that he would end the French presence in Burkina Faso received wide coverage in the world press.
He now gained popularity as the person who disrupted the order of the imperialists in Africa. Thus, he began to be among the most curious leaders in the world.
A military coup took place on September 30, 2022. Traore was still a soldier with the rank of captain when he launched the coup. The coup took place with the support of the Cobra Union. With the coup, the world heard his name for the first time. Following the coup, Traore declared himself the new president of the Patriotic Movement for Preservation and Restoration. On October 6, he announced that he had assumed the position of interim president as the President of Burkina Faso and supreme head of the Burkina Faso Armed Forces. He was now the leader of Burkina Faso.
Ibrahim Traore made history as the youngest actively serving head of state in the world when he became president at the age of 34.
In his statement after becoming president, he promised democratic elections for July 2024.
Ibrahim Traoré (born c. 1988) is a Burkinabè military officer who has been the interim leader of Burkina Faso since the 30 September 2022 coup d'état which ousted interim president Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba. At age 34, Traoré is currently the youngest serving president in the world.
Traore's first focus was to end Western, especially French, exploitation of the country. The uprisings in Africa had further weakened the influence of the USA and France in the region. Anti-colonial uprisings, which have become massive in Africa in recent years, were making the West's hegemony in the region increasingly difficult.
He expelled French forces from Burkina Faso in February 2023. He wanted to strengthen Burkina Faso by diversifying its international partnerships. In his statements, he said: “We want to look at other horizons. Because we want win-win partnerships,” he said.
Two years after the coup in Mali in 2020, the coup in Burkina Faso followed by the coup in Niger caused the commercial activities of France and the USA in Africa to decrease significantly. Traore, on the other hand, led the anti-colonial movement in Africa.
In fact, he has recently come to the fore with his stance against European imperialism and his anti-US and anti-France rhetoric. In his statements, he often emphasized the struggle against France and independence. Finally, the eyes of the whole world suddenly turned to Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traore, with his announcement that he banned uranium exports to France and the USA.
Then came a move from Niger. Niger announced that it banned uranium exports to France. Burkina Faso and Niger would no longer export uranium to the USA and France…
In his speech, Traore said: “My generation does not understand this; How is it that Africa, which has so much wealth, is the poorest continent in the world today? And why do African leaders travel the world begging? "Africa's period of slavery to Western regimes has ended and the war of full independence has begun," he said.
In the period following this decision, Traore's popularity increased rapidly. He became the voice of the struggle against imperialism in Africa.
The uranium decision was followed by other moves. He also started to fight against foreign companies' plunder of nature in Africa. He expelled a Canadian company that was exploring for gold from his country on the grounds that it was colonialism. He also confiscated the 200 gold coins extracted. With this action, he demonstrated determination in his words in deeds.
With the decline of France's power in the region, the door to a new balance of power was opened in the region. Burkina Faso will undoubtedly need the support of a major country in its war against the United States and France. Which country do you think would never miss such an opportunity against the West? The answer is simple; Russia… Russia immediately turned this crisis environment in Africa into an opportunity and started to accelerate its relations with African countries.
The Ghanaian Government claimed that Traore had connections with Wagner, a Russian mercenary group and that he started working together after the coup. Traore rejected this claim and said, "Our Wagner is the Homeland Defense Volunteers." In addition to all this, after the Russia-Africa Summit held on July 29, 2023, Traore said that he supported Russia. He also decided to reopen the Russian embassy, which was closed in 1992.
Ibrahim Traore met with Putin at the Russia-Africa Summit. During the meeting, Traore asked Russia for support to establish a nuclear power plant.
He wanted this to both meet his country's energy needs and sell electricity to neighboring countries. Electricity would be produced from uranium. He explained this request by saying, 'We need serious energy. I care very much about the energy issue. We need a nuclear power plant to generate electricity in Burkina Faso. Our location is very strategic. "We are located in the heart of West Africa," he explained.
Making a press statement after the meeting, Traore said, "There is a serious desire for us to turn our back on our traditional allies and turn to partners such as Russia, which has supported us from the post-colonial period until today."
If Traore is successful in nuclear energy, it can become a very rich and powerful state. But we should not forget that the country he asked for help from was Russia. In other words, while Burkina Faso wants to get rid of French exploitation, it may suddenly find itself a colony of Russia and China.
Frankly, Burkina Faso President Ibrahim Traore allows the growth of solidarity in African countries.
The dismissal of French ambassadors, the ban on uranium imports to France, and the termination of all military protocols caused France to experience a crisis in the region. Banning uranium exports, especially to France, was one of the biggest and most effective steps taken in this direction. We can even say that this decision is a beginning.