His Angels must be very busy. Since seizing power in September 2022, The young Captain Ibrahim Traoré has allegedly weathered a string of foiled plots each underscoring both the fragility of his rule and the depth of his connection to a populace yearning for sovereignty. At just 36, Traoré emerged from the jungle warfare against jihadist insurgents with the reputation of a frontline leader: charismatic, glint-eyed, and plainspoken in a way that resonates with ordinary Burkinabè. His youthful energy and habit of moving among civilians shaking hands in market stalls, eating street-side tô, and sharing sweat on the frontlines has made him a potent symbol of resistance against perceived Western overreach, particularly France’s lingering influence in its former colony. It is all clear France is finding it hard to let go Burkina Faso
December 2022: Lieutenant-Colonel Emmanuel Zoungrana’s Plot
Barely three months into Traoré’s transitional presidency, his forces dismantled a conspiracy led by Lieutenant-Colonel Emmanuel Zoungrana. According to the junta, Zoungrana once imprisoned for his role in the January 2022 coup had rallied both civilian collaborators and disaffected army officers to remove Traoré from power. Arrests followed in Ouagadougou, and the would-be plotters were swiftly detained, ensuring that Traoré’s grip remained firm
September 26, 2023: High-Level Military Dissidents Strike
On the night of September 26, 2023, murmurs of discontent within the Burkinabé Armed Forces erupted into action. A faction of senior officers including commanders of special forces and gendarmerie units—planned to seize key installations in Ouagadougou and eliminate Traoré’s inner circle. Pro-Traoré militias were mobilized via social media, and by dawn the intelligence services had arrested four conspirators, while two others fled into hiding. The aftermath saw the dismissal of the national gendarmerie chief, signaling Traoré’s zero-tolerance approach to internal threat and dissent.
January 14, 2024: The “Umpteenth Attempt at Destabilization”
Just as the young Traoré appeared to consolidate power, Burkinabé authorities announced in mid-January 2024 that they had pre-empted another coup slated for the 14th. Dubbed the “umpteenth attempt at destabilization” by the junta, security forces arrested several military and civilian suspects. Though details remain scarce, this rapid intervention underscored the regime’s vigilance and the continual undercurrent of opposition within both the barracks and civilian elite.
June 12, 2024: Rocket Explosion at the Presidential Palace
In a stark departure from opaque plotting, on June 12, 2024, a rocket landed within the compound surrounding the presidential palace in downtown Ouagadougou. State television downplayed it as a misfire, but leaked memos and social-media posts revealed that Traoré was pulled from a cabinet meeting in the nick of time. He then vanished from public view for 48 hours, only to reappear smiling as he donated blood on national television—an image designed to shore up confidence even as whispers of an inner-army revolt swirled
August 2024: A “Destabilization” Plot Unveiled
In early August of 2024, government Traoré thwarted yet another destabilization scheme, this time implicating unnamed political figures and low-ranking officers. This plot was directly linked to French operatives stationed in neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire, from where there has been mounting suspicion of French intelligence activities. This prompted Traoré to expel more French troops and tighten security protocols around both the presidential residence and military installations
April 30, 2025: The “Grand Complot” from Côte d’Ivoire
Most recently, on April 30, 2025, Burkina Faso’s junta decried a “grand complot” hatched on Ivorian soil to decapitate the regime, this time the Americans were suspected of being involved in the plot. Thousands rallied in Ouagadougou, and other major cities around the world under banners reading “Vive la résistance!”, “Hands off Traore” denouncing American “interference” and pledging allegiance to Moscow-backed security partnerships. Statements made by the American Head of AFRICOM General Michael E. Langley, further amplified the suspicion of American involvement in the plot. According to the junta, artillery caches had been smuggled across the border, and key assassins were apprehended in transit. This latest episode has only deepened Traoré’s turn toward Russia at the expense of longstanding ties with Paris and its Western allies.
Charisma, Connection, and the Western Fallout
Captain Traoré’s effective nullification of each threat has burnished his image as an infallible guardian of sovereignty. To many Burkinabè youths alienated by chronic jihadist violence and the stagnation that followed French military interventions Traoré represents a new paradigm: a leader who sleeps under mosquito nets with frontline volunteers and peppers his speeches with local idioms and references to ancestral Mossi traditions. Yet his rhetoric has come at a cost. Since late 2023, the junta has expelled French troops, suspended Jeune Afrique from Ouagadougou, and denounced ECOWAS sanctions. Western diplomats lament the erosion of democracy, while Traoré accuses Paris of neo-colonial meddling and promises a “pan-African renaissance under genuine African leadership.” The repeated assassination and coup attempts, far from weakening him, have only amplified his appeal among those who see resistance to foreign influence as synonymous with national liberation
Looking Ahead
As Burkina Faso forges deeper ties with Russia inviting foreign private military contractors and restructuring its army under new, pro-sovereigntist doctrines every foiled plot becomes both a testament to Traoré’s security apparatus and a rallying cry for his supporters. In a region riddled with external powers vying for influence, the saga of Burkina’s putsch‐proof captain continues to captivate and confound the world.
