Across the African continent and its vast diaspora, alarm bells are ringing. In a telling display of imperial anxiety, U.S. AFRICOM Commander General Michael Langley testified before the U.S. Senate on April 3, identifying Burkina Faso and its revolutionary leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, as a threat to American interests in Africa.
Langley accused Traoré of using Burkina Faso’s nationalized gold reserves to “protect his junta,” a claim as arrogant as it is absurd. The U.S., with a $2 billion military presence in Africa and a track record of propping up extractive economies, now criticizes an African government for investing in its own defense and sovereignty? This is not about democracy. It’s about defiance.
Burkina Faso under Traoré has dared to reject the neocolonial order. He has nationalized mineral wealth, built the country’s first gold refinery, restructured mining contracts to favor local interests, expelled French military forces, and ramped up agricultural production to achieve food security. He governs on a modest captain’s salary, models leadership on the ideals of Thomas Sankara, and speaks to a new generation of Africans ready to reclaim their future.
As AFRICOM’s Operation Flintlock unfolds in Côte d’Ivoire, conveniently, the alleged base of a foiled coup plot against Traoré, the West’s strategic encirclement becomes clearer. Yet so too does African resistance. From the streets of Ouagadougou to voices online and demonstrations across Europe and the Americas, the Pan-African response is unified: Burkina Faso will not be another Libya.
April 30 marked a global day of solidarity with Captain Traoré, underscoring what many now understand—Burkina Faso’s revolution is not isolated. It is a frontline in Africa’s larger battle for sovereignty, dignity, and economic emancipation.
We are watching. We are mobilizing. Africa will not kneel.