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Ibrahim Traoré

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For the Ivorian footballer, see Ibrahim Traoré (footballer).
Ibrahim Traoré
Captain
Traoré in 2023
President of Burkina Faso
Interim
Assumed office
6 October 2022[1]
Prime MinisterApollinaire Joachim Kyélem de Tambèla
Preceded byPaul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba
President of the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration
Incumbent
Assumed office
30 September 2022
Preceded byPaul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba
Personal details
Bornc. 1988 (age 35–36)[2]
Bondokuy, Burkina Faso[3]
Military service
Allegiance Burkina Faso
Branch/serviceArmy of Burkina Faso
RankCaptain
Unit"Cobra" special forces unit[4] (disputed)[5]
Battles/warsMali War
Islamist insurgency
Burkinabé coup d'etats:

Ibrahim Traoré (born c. 1988) is a Burkinabé 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.[6] At age 34, Traoré is currently the youngest serving president in the world.[7]

Early life

Ibrahim Traoré was born in Bondokuy, Mouhoun Province, c. 1988.[2][3] After receiving his primary education in Bondokuy, he attended a high school in Bobo-Dioulasso where he became known as being "quiet" and "very talented".[2] From 2006, he studied at the University of Ouagadougou where he was part of the Association of Muslim Students.[2][8] He graduated from the university with honors.[2] Traoré joined the army of Burkina Faso in 2009, and quickly began to climb the ranks. He was sent to Morocco for anti-aircraft training before being transferred to an infantry unit in Kaya, a town in Burkina Faso's north.[2]

Promoted to lieutenant in 2014, Traoré joined MINUSMA, a United Nations peacekeeping force involved in the Mali War. In 2018, he was cited as one of the MINUSMA soldiers who "showed courage" during major rebel attacks in the Tombouctou Region.[2] He subsequently returned to Burkina Faso where he assisted in operations against the escalating jihadist insurgency. Traoré fought in the "Otapuanu offensive" of 2019 and several other counter-insurgency operations in the country's north.[2] He was promoted to captain in 2020.[8][2]

Rise to power

Traoré was part of the group of army officers that supported the January 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état and brought the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration military junta to power.[6][5] From March 2022, he served as the head of an artillery regiment in Kaya.[2][5] Whether he was ever associated with the "Cobra" special forces, a counterterrorist unit founded in 2019, is disputed. According to several sources such as BBC, Al Jazeera, and Die Tageszeitung, he was part of the unit at some point.[8][4][9] However, news magazine Jeune Afrique stated that he was never associated with the "Cobras".[5]

Many supporters of the January coup became dissatisfied with the performance of Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, the junta's leader, regarding his inability to contain the jihadist insurgency. Traoré later claimed that he and other officers had tried to get Damiba to "refocus" on the rebellion, but eventually opted to overthrow him as "his ambitions were diverting away from what we set out to do".[6] The dissatisfaction about the situation was highest among younger officers who fought against the rebels at the frontlines.[10] In addition, there were delays in pay for the "Cobra" troops.[8] When the plotters launched their coup on 30 September, Traoré still held the rank of Captain.[6] The operation was carried out with support of the "Cobra" unit.[4][10] In the direct aftermath of the coup, Traoré declared himself the new head of the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration.[10] On 6 October, he also assumed the position of Interim President as "Head of State, Supreme Head of the Armed Forces".[1] He promises to hold democratic elections in July 2024.[11]

Presidency

In February 2023, Traoré's government expelled the French forces assisting in fighting the local insurgency from Burkina Faso.[12] He subsequently declared that "We really want to look at other horizons, because we want win-win partnerships", supporting the diversification of Burkina Faso's international partnerships. Shortly after, Traoré's government expressed support for a federation with Mali and both invited Guinea. All three countries are under military leadership and if it were to become a union it would be the largest country ruled by military junta.[13] In April, he declared a "general mobilisation" of the population to support the military, as rebel forces continued to increase the rate of their attacks.[14] In the following month, Traoré questioned the planned restoration of democracy for 2024, stating that elections could not be held unless the insurgents were pushed back and the security situation had been improved.[15]

Alleged association with Russia

According to Reuters and the New York Times, Traoré was suspected of having a connection with Russian mercenary organization Wagner Group due to having expressed anti-French and pro-Russian views.[16][17] As Traoré entered Ouagadougou, the nation's capital, supporters cheered, some waving Russian flags.[16] The Government of Ghana publicly alleged that Traoré began collaborating with the Wagner Group following the coup, enlisting the mercenaries against the jihadist rebels.[11] Traoré denied this, claiming that "our Wagner are the VDP", referencing the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland.[13][15] On 29 July 2023, following the 2023 Russia–Africa Summit, Traoré said that the people of his country support Russia, and communicated that a decision had been made to reopen the Russian embassy, which was closed in 1992.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b "Traore officially appointed as president of Burkina Faso after coup". France24. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Izina mu makuru: Menya Capt Ibrahim Traoré wafashe ubutegetsi i Ouagadougou". BBC (in Kinyarwanda). 3 October 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  3. ^ a b Portrait du nouveau Président du MPSR, le capitaine Ibrahim TRAORE (in French), Radiodiffusion Télévision du Burkina, 2 October 2022, retrieved 4 October 2022
  4. ^ a b c "Burkina Faso: Military officers remove President Damiba in a coup". www.aljazeera.com. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d "Burkina Faso: Ibrahim Traoré proclaimed President, Damiba ousted". The Africa Report. Jeune Afrique. 1 October 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d Thiam Ndiaga; Anne Mimault (30 September 2022). "Burkina Faso army captain announces overthrow of military government". Reuters. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  7. ^ Afp (6 October 2022). "At 34, Burkina's new junta chief Ibrahim Traoré is world's youngest leader". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d Katrin Gänsler (1 October 2022). "Putsch in Burkina Faso: Ibrahim Traoré hat die Macht". Jeune Afrique (in German). Retrieved 1 October 2022.
  9. ^ "Burkina Faso coup: Gunshots in capital and roads blocked". BBC. 1 October 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  10. ^ a b c "Burkina : Ibrahim Traoré proclamé président, Damiba destitué". Jeune Afrique (in French). 30 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Wagner Group: Burkina Faso anger over Russian mercenary link". BBC News. 16 December 2022. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  12. ^ "French army officially ends operations in Burkina Faso". France 24. 20 February 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Burkina, Guinea, Mali: A new axis on the continent?". Africanews. 10 February 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  14. ^ "'General mobilisation' declared in Burkina Faso after series of terrorist attacks". France24. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  15. ^ a b "'No elections without security': Burkina Faso's 2024 vote in question after 40 killed in attacks". France24. 30 May 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  16. ^ a b McAllister, Edward (4 October 2022). "Who is Ibrahim Traore, the soldier behind Burkina Faso's latest coup?". Reuters.
  17. ^ Peltier, Elian (2 October 2022). "In Burkina Faso, the Man Who Once Led a Coup is Ousted by One". The New York Times.
  18. ^ "В Буркина-Фасо поддерживают проведение СВО". RIA Novosti. 29 July 2023.
Political offices
Preceded by President of the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration
2022–present 		Incumbent
Interim President of Burkina Faso
2022–present
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