The Illusion of Liberation: Captain Ibrahim Traoré and the Mirage of Pan-Africanism

Of the three military rulers who forcefully seized power in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, Captain Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso has arguably operated the most sophisticated propaganda machine, one heavily infused with Pan-Africanist and anti-imperialist rhetoric. Yet beneath the surface, his regime has effectively swapped Western hegemony for Russian influence, primarily through collaboration with the Russian Africa Corps, the rebranded Wagner Group notorious for its operations across unstable regions.

Since forming the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), these countries have expelled Western powers such as France and the United States, and formally withdrew from ECOWAS, the West African bloc that condemned the military coups and advocated for the restoration of democratic governance.

Despite lofty promises, Captain Traoré’s regime has shown little tangible progress. Core objectives, including resolving the humanitarian crisis, reviving the economy, and combating the jihadist insurgency—which has worsened, tripling the death toll since the coup—remain unmet. Instead, civil liberties have been curtailed, and democracy, suspended in 2022, continues to languish.

Yet the regime’s narrative persists—amplified by Russian disinformation networks—claiming progress and sovereignty. Just last week, pro-Traoré rallies staged under the banner of a “global day of support” took place in cities such as London, Paris, Accra, Ouagadougou, and Kingston, with demonstrators demanding an end to “Western interference” in AES affairs. Alarmingly, some supporters went as far as threatening to burn down London should Traoré die under mysterious circumstances—a stark and irrational display of political fanaticism.

These protests, reportedly funded and encouraged by Russia, represent a new theatre of influence in the global East-West rivalry, with Africa as a battleground. Despite their emotive appeal, the rallies mask worsening conditions on the ground and serve as a distraction from the regression into authoritarianism.

The troubling embrace of strongman politics under the guise of sovereignty reflects a crisis in African political consciousness—a failure to reckon with the long-term costs of dictatorship dressed in the garments of anti-colonialism. The irony is clear: in rejecting Western dominance, Burkina Faso and its AES partners have welcomed another imperial force, one equally, if not more, opaque and exploitative.

What is even more disconcerting is the applause such regimes receive from segments of the Nigerian public, who view Traoré’s defiance of the West as courage rather than what it truly is—a regression into repression, misgovernance, and foreign manipulation.