Thousands rally in Burkina Faso in support of military junta following alleged coup attempt

DAKAR, Senegal — 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.

Ocibi Johann, a musician who came to the protest, said he is not surprised at the accusations launched by Langley. ''Because Colin Powell lied, Iraq was destroyed. Barack Obama lied, Gaddafi was killed. But this time, their lies won't affect us. That's why we tell them – we're not against them – but we are against predation and economic slavery,'' he said.

Until last year, the U.S. had military bases in neighboring Niger as part of its counterterrorism work in the Sahel, an arid strip of land south of the Sahara, but withdrew after the West African nation ended the military agreement between the two countries.

Burkina Faso, along with its neighbors Niger and Mali, has for over a decade battled an insurgency fought by jihadi groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas severed military ties with longstanding Western partners such as the U.S. and France, and turned to Russia for military support.

Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger created their own security partnership, known as the Alliance of Sahel States, in 2023.

Following a September 2022 coup, Capt. Ibrahim Traore was named the transitional president of Burkina Faso and promised to bring security and prosperity to the West African nation, capturing the hearts and minds of many young people in his country and around the world.

Sekou Ansumariam Dukaly, one of the protester, said he came to Burkina Faso all the way from Liberia.

''I came to Ouagadougou today to participate in this demonstration in support of Captain Ibrahim Traore, because he represents hope for Africa, hope for Black people, hope for all freedom fighters around the globe,'' he said.

However, since its inception, the junta has struggled to end Burkina Faso's security challenges — the very reason that it said prompted it to take over power in 2022. According to conservative estimates, more than 60% of the country is now outside of government control, more than 2.1 million people have lost their homes and almost 6.5 million need humanitarian aid to survive.

Meanwhile, human rights group say the country's armed forces and militias have committed widespread abuses during counterinsurgency operations, including unlawful killings of civilians accused of supporting Islamist fighters.

It it impossible to get an accurate picture of the situation in the country since the military leadership has installed a system of de facto censorship, rights groups said, and those daring to speak up can be openly abducted, imprisoned or forcefully drafted into the army.