Ibrahim Traoré | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1988 Bondokuy, Burkina Faso |
| Political orientation | Anti-imperialism |
Ibrahim Traoré (born c. 1988) is a Burkinabè military officer who has served as the leader of Burkina Faso since September 2022. He is the youngest current head of state in the world. He has pledged to stop extremism and corruption and completely change the system of government and is inspired by Thomas Sankara.
Traoré led a coup against Paul-Henri Damiba, another military leader who failed to stop jihadism. "Jihadism" has been a long-time excuse for the French to justify continued involvement in the Sahel.[1] Traoré's time in power has seen major rollbacks in French neocolonial influence over the Sahel region. Traoré's government, along with the anti-French coup governments in Niger and Mali, has kicked out French troops[1], made deals with Russian private military contractors (PMCs)[2], and formed an anti-ECOWAS bloc in defiance of French interests in the CFA franc zone.[3] In July 2023, he visited Russia and praised the Soviet Union for defeating Nazi Germany. He appointed Apollinaire Tambèla, an ally of Sankara, as prime minister. Tambèla met with Nicolás Maduro and Daniel Ortega and praised Fidel Castro.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 “France originally entered the Sahel to allegedly prevent the southern movement of jihadist elements strengthened by the NATO-led war in Libya”
Vijay Prashad (2023-01-25). "Burkina Faso ejects French troops" peoples dispatch. Retrieved 2024-03-13. - ↑ Sophie Douce (2023-05-30). "Au Burkina Faso, le capitaine Ibrahim Traoré, le président énigmatique qui défie la France" Le Monde. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
- ↑ Mali Bamako (2023-09-17). "Explained | Military-ruled former French colonies forge NATO-style Alliance of Sahel States" WION. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
- ↑ Ben Norton (2023-07-31). "Burkina Faso’s new president condemns imperialism, quotes Che Guevara, allies with Nicaragua, Venezuela, Cuba" Geopolitical Economy Report. Retrieved 2023-08-03.