On April 30, 2025, millions of people across Africa and the world held mass demonstrations in defense of the revolutionary leadership in the West African state of Burkina Faso under the leadership of the charismatic 37-year-old Capt. Ibrahim Traore.

Since 2022 with the ascendancy of Traore to power, he has become a focal point for the emerging anti-imperialist and Pan-Africanist revival taking place on the African continent and throughout the Diaspora.

Traore’s speeches and interviews are often quoted for their fierce denunciation of imperialism and 21st century neo-colonialism. The withdrawal of Burkina Faso along with Mali and Niger from the western-backed Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has provided incentives for other political parties and mass organizations to think about the necessity to build a genuinely independent existence outside the framework of French and United States’ spheres of influence.

The formation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) during 2024 in the aftermath of the signing of the Liptako-Gourma Charter in late 2023, illustrates clearly the imperatives of the masses of workers, farmers and youth. These three landlocked states are paving the way for greater cooperation and unity on the African continent. (See this)

All of the AES governments are former French colonies which maintained close ties with the Paris for decades. The spread of jihadist rebel groupings in the West and North Africa regions took place in the aftermath of the Pentagon-NATO destruction of the Jamahiriya administration in Libya and its revolutionary leader Col. Muammar Gaddafi. Since 2011, Libya has become a base for large-scale human trafficking from North Africa across the Mediterranean to Europe.

Since the ascendancy of the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (PMSR) in January 2022 under the initial leader Lt.-Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, the emphasis of the Burkinabe government has been on defeating the rebels who have carried out massacres of civilians. With the failure of Damiba to make significant progress in the anti-insurgency campaign, he was replaced in late September 2022 by Capt. Traore.

Since taking power, Traore has accelerated the movement against the rebels and for the delinking from the neo-colonial system. The PMSR has also formed a working alliance with the Russian Federation which is assisting Ouagadougou with its efforts to strengthen its internal security against several plots to overthrow the revolutionary government.

The April 30 manifestation sought to demonstrate the support for the Traore administration both inside the country and internationally. The efforts of the PMSR are a threat to the economic and military interests of France and the U.S. in Africa. With rising consciousness related to the detrimental role of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and the French Foreign Legions, several other governments, including Chad, Ivory Coast and Senegal, have requested the removal of military forces deployed by Paris.

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In a report published by the Associated Press on April 30, it said that:

“Thousands of people rallied in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou on Wednesday in support of the military junta after an alleged coup attempt and comments by an American official criticizing junta leader Ibrahim Traore. Last week, the West African country’s military government said it foiled a ‘major plot’ to overthrow junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore, with the army alleging the plotters were based in neighboring Ivory Coast. Earlier this month, Gen. Michael Langley, the head of U.S. military in Africa, accused Traore during a U.S. Senate committee hearing of using Burkina Faso’s gold reserves to benefit the junta at the expense of the population. Crowds of protesters gathered at the Place de la Revolution in Ouagadougou on Wednesday, chanting ‘Long live Captain Traore!’ with some holding banners showing a photo of Gen. Langley with the word ‘slave’ written on his head with red marker. Others waved Burkina Faso and Russia’s flag, a close ally of the West African country.” 

Demonstrations were held in other African states and cities around the world including Dakar, Lagos, Accra, Nairobi, and Johannesburg as well as in Paris, New York, and London. Traore is admired among youth, workers and farmers in Africa and the Diaspora.

Visit to Moscow for VE Day 80th Anniversary

May 2025 represents the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. It was the Soviet Red Army which defeated the Third Reich when it invaded the country beginning in June 1941.

Battles on Soviet territory between 1941-1943 leveled tremendous damage on the Nazi military forcing a retreat from the eastern front. By May 1945, the Hitlerite military units were defeated with the Red Army arriving in Berlin first and later followed by the western allied forces.

Image: Burkina Faso leader with Russian counterpart for VE Day 80th anniversary

Capt. Traore was one of the heads-of-state invited to participate in the commemorations held in Moscow. This visit continues the enhancement of relations between Ouagadougou and Moscow.

One source on the visit by Traore to Moscow for VE Day emphasized:

“Russia has faced severe sanctions since launching its offensive in Ukraine in 2022 and has undertaken a significant foreign policy shift, including by strengthening ties with Africa.

Traore said he would not ask for military aid from Moscow at a time when Russian forces are engaged in Ukraine. But he said Russia could share its ‘knowledge’, help Burkina Faso ‘educate its young population’ and end conflict in the country where security forces are battling a jihadist uprising. Putin said Russia would ‘continue to assist’ Burkina Faso, suppressing ‘radical groups’ and training officials. ‘We are united by the common goal of combating terrorism,’ Putin said, also advocating stronger economic cooperation.” 

Burkina Faso relations with Russia are indicative of the entire continent. African Union (AU) member-states have lobbied for a diplomatic resolution to the Russian Special Military Operations in Ukraine. The war has raged for more than three years and efforts by the administration of United States President Donald Trump to bring the conflagration to a close has not been successful.

The failure of the draconian sanctions imposed on Russia by the U.S. and the western imperialist countries has provided encouragement for other states such as Burkina Faso and the AES in their efforts to stave off the imperialist pressure. Statements such as those made by AFRICOM Gen. Michael Langley condemning the PMSR are a reflection of the frustrations of the imperialists in their ongoing attempts to maintain global hegemony.

With the acceptance of invitations to attend the Moscow ceremonies by nearly 30 heads-of-state exposed the false narrative by the U.S. that the Russian Federation is isolated internationally due to its intervention in Ukraine. Chinese President Xi Jinping was in attendance at the VE Day parade showing the close ties between Beijing and Moscow.

Trump, who was not in attendance at the Moscow celebrations, has attempted to make it appear that he is bringing the U.S. out of its isolation by the enactment of tariffs on countries throughout the world. The Trump-Musk economic program domestically has resulted in tremendous uncertainty while on the international scale China has reiterated its political and economic stability.

Security Situation Remains Concerning

On May 11 insurgents surrounded and attacked the northern town of Djibo where civilians were killed. The rebels claiming to be Islamic jihadists, entered Djibo on motorcycles and in vehicles which resulted in the deaths of several dozen people including soldiers.

Such attacks over the last decade have reportedly killed more than 20,000 people. The objectives of the rebels which are affiliated with al-Qaeda and ISIS are not clear and only result in the deaths of civilians and the destruction of the national infrastructure.

These operations by the rebels have been met with offensive operations by the Burkinabe military and the volunteer militia grouping supported by the PMSR government. Human Rights Watch (HRW) claims that over 100 civilians from the Fulani people of West Africa were killed by Burkinabe soldiers and pro-government fighters in the western town of Solenzo in March. The PMSR administration has denied the allegations by HRW and denounced the organization for what it described as fake videos utilized to support its claims. See this.

Although Radio France International (RFI), citing a report by the Conflict Armament Research (CAR), asserts that the weapons being utilized by the rebel groupings of the JNIM (Group for the Support of Muslims and Islam) and the ISGS (Islamic State of Greater Sahara) are not being supplied by other countries including France, the reality is that the rebels, Paris and Washington all are seeking the overthrow of the AES governments. Ukraine has already been exposed for providing training and weapons to rebels in neighboring Mali prompting the severing of diplomatic relations between the AES states and Kyiv. (See this)

Consequently, the people of Burkina Faso and their allies in Africa and around the world must continue their solidarity actions in defense of the PMSR administration. More countries could very well follow the examples of the AES governments in efforts to build continental unity based on anti-imperialism and Pan-Africanism.

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Abayomi Azikiwe is the editor of the Pan-African News Wire. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.  

All images in this article are from the author

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