The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, the National Representative of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam, has said that “time dictates the agenda” and when one’s actions are in accord with the time, they are successful. Perhaps this is what the world is witnessing with Captain Ibrahim Traoré, the president of Burkina Faso.
On April 30, mass demonstrations were held from Africa to Europe to the United States, and the Caribbean to say to Western powers and neo-colonialists—“Hands Off Traoré!” The coordinated demonstrations were part of a global day of support for Traoré’s Pan-Africanist and anti-imperialist governance.
The 37-year-old head of state who came to power in a September 2022 coup d’état has, in a short time, set Burkina Faso on a course of self-determination, true liberation, shutting the door on exploitative powers like France and the United States.
“I would like to express my gratitude to all the peace-loving, freedom-loving patriots and pan-Africanists who rallied around the world on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, to support our commitment and our vision for a new Burkina Faso and a new Africa, free from imperialism and neo-colonialism,” said Capt. Traoré in a May 1 statement on X.
“Your active solidarity and this demonstration of sympathy strengthens our conviction that the fight we are waging for a fairer and more equitable world is justified,” he posted.
He declared: “We will never bend our backs in the face of adversity; we will stand firm until our peoples are truly emancipated. With you, we are certain that victory over the forces of evil is at hand.”
He said in solidarity with other nations, “we will defeat imperialism and neo-colonialism for a free, dignified and sovereign Africa.”
Activists and everyday citizens filled the streets of Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, and capitals worldwide to send an unequivocal message that the history of eliminating visionary leaders will not repeat itself.
Demonstrator Haroun Sawadogo told AfricaNews that “if they want to eliminate Captain Traoré, they should eliminate the people first.”
“What we experienced in the 1987 [assassination] will not be repeated. What happened to Captain (Thomas) Sankara will not happen to Captain Traoré. We will go all the way to defend our president,” he added.
Demonstrators were enraged when the Burkinabe military announced they foiled a “major plot” on April 21, aimed at “sowing total chaos” and attempting a coup. Media reports stated there were upwards of 20 attempts to overthrow or eliminate Capt. Traoré.
In addition, protesters were angered by accusations made by the head of AFRICOM, the U.S. military command in Africa, General Michael Langley, the first Black four-star general in the United States Marine Corps.
In an April 3 U.S. Senate hearing, Gen. Langley accused Capt. Traoré, without providing evidence, of misusing his country’s gold reserves to benefit himself and not the Burkinabè people.
In a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Cooperation, and Burkinabè Abroad, the government strongly objected to the AFRICOM commander’s remarks. It described his statements as ‘unjustified’ and ‘politically biased,’” reported westafricaweekly.com.
Demonstrations were also held in Ghana and Liberia, led by grassroots organizations and people’s movements. Protesters strongly condemned foreign interference and affirmed their support for the country’s resistance.
“Under Captain Traoré, Burkina Faso has become a symbol of African dignity and resistance,” said the Socialist Movement of Ghana, which co-organized the solidarity protest in Accra. “We stand with the people of Burkina Faso who are fighting to reclaim their wealth and future from the clutches of neocolonialism,” reported the online website, Peoples Dispatch.
Solidarity marches were held in front of the American Embassy in London and the French Mission at the United Nations in New York.
“We came here to the French mission to let them know that they will never again steal our resources. They will never again steal our rights. They will never again steal our wealth,” said Omowale Clay of the December 12th Movement. “That which belongs to the people must be returned to the people,” he said. Solidarity marches were also held in the Caribbean.
“The work of leaders [here in Jamaica] must be to take a page out of Ibrahim Traoré’s book that he has written, the changing of the guard to liberate our motherland and our fatherland,” said Wesley Kelly, the high priest of the Haile Selassie Jah Rastafari Royal Ethiopian Judah Coptic Church to the Jamaican news publication, The Gleaner.
“On this day of solidarity and beyond, we reaffirm our eternal commitment to mobilize support not only for President Traoré and Burkina Faso but for all movements across the globe that echo the cries for freedom, equality, and human rights,”
Said Dr. Damian Dublin on behalf of the Dominica Reparation Committee, in a statement. “Let us stand as one, for his fight is our fight,” he said. “There shall be no retreat and no surrender,” he added.
Statements were sent to the French Embassy admonishing France to leave Mr. Traoré alone. “Oakland California stands with Burkina Faso and President Captain Ibrahim Traore.’ African Americans of the diaspora, living in the Bay Area, California stand in solidarity with the people of Burkina Faso and President Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
We’re calling out the ongoing foreign interference and neo-colonial tactics that have held our brothers and sisters in Africa back for far too long,” said an open letter sent to the embassy, a copy of which was forwarded to The Final Call.
“We’re done watching as western puppet masters, pull the strings. French-led coups have robbed us of our dreams and potential. We see the criminality in this system, and we refuse to stay silent while it continues to oppress our people. The vision of a free and redeemed Africa has been revitalized,” the letter continued.
“We demand our right to self-determination. Burkina Faso deserves the freedom to choose its own leaders and control its natural resources—resources that are our birthright.
“We’re calling for an immediate end to the coup attempts against President Traoré and the chaos fueled by outside interests. Enough is enough! We won’t stand by as foreign powers exploit our land and create instability,” the letter said.
The geo-strategic modern scramble for Africa’s resources between America, France, the European Union, China, and Russia is in full effect. For the West it was problematic for Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to expel the militaries of France and America, as well as sever the master-slave arrangement. The moves had popular support.
Burkina’s security situation also factors into Western relations. The country faces a violent insurgency by Al-Qaida and ISIS-affiliated groups, and much of Capt. Traoré’s legitimacy rests on promises to restore security.
Burkina Faso blames Western “ineffectiveness” in curbing the armed groups and took on the fight without foreign troops. The U.S. and France used fighting the groups as a pretext for keeping their military footprint in the African country.
However, the failure of the U.S. and France to oust the Al-Qaida and ISIS groups wreaking terror across the Sahel fed into an anti-West sentiment growing among the African people. The amplified level of dissatisfaction was the spark that drove the coups and subsequent expulsion of the American and French militaries.
In recent Final Call interviews, some observers said leaders like Capt. Traoré emerged from such moments of intensified popular struggle for independence and decolonization. Capt.
Traoré enjoys popular support, like past Pan African leaders like Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana), Sekou Toure (Guinea-Conakry), Patrice Lumumba (Congo), and later, Muammar Gadhafi (Libya), and Thomas Sankara (Burkina Faso).
“They are products of the intensified people’s movement,” said Netfa Freeman, organizer with Pan-African Community Action, in recent comments to The Final Call. “None of them are just great people who kind of developed in and of themselves out of nowhere,” he added. “They are products of the history and the struggle of the people.”
The past leaders struggled for “independence” and “decolonization,” and the new leaders are pushing back against “neo-colonialism” and “deep colonization,” Mr. Freeman further explained.
Capt. Traoré is compared to former Burkina Faso president Thomas Sankara, who was assassinated in 1987 in a foreign-backed coup. Both leaders assumed power at 34 years old. Like Sankara, Traoré rapidly moved to rid his country of any vestiges of Western influence.
Traoré, like Sankara, has voiced strong anti-colonial sentiments. He has criticized Western influence, particularly France’s role in Africa, and has sought to establish new alliances, notably with Russia. Both men prioritized national sovereignty and self-reliance.
Mirroring Sankara’s efforts, Traoré’s policies reflect a commitment to reducing foreign dependency and making Burkina Faso economically self-sufficient. It was Sankara who, according to thomassankara.net, changed the name of the country from the “colonial designation of Upper Volta to a dynamo of progress under the proud name of Burkina Faso (“Land of the Honorable People”).”
Sankara was known for promoting gender equality, including appointing women to significant government positions. Traoré has continued this legacy by engaging with women’s groups and encouraging their involvement in national defense initiatives, according to WeAfrique.
Capt. Traoré’s initiatives include:
Taking concrete steps toward the Pan African vision of continental unity by offering a plan for the countries of the regional Alliance of Sahel States, that includes Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
Nationalized much of the country’s gold reserves.
In November 2023, Traore approved the construction of Burkina Faso’s first gold refinery, returning the added value of its unrefined gold from Europe.
Launched the Presidential Initiative for Agricultural Production and Food Self-Sufficiency. The initiative promotes using climate-smart agriculture, improved irrigation, and the distribution of modern farming equipment and high-quality seeds to farmers. As a result, cereal production in 2024–2025 reached 6 million tons—an 18% increase from 2023 and a 21.4% rise over the five-year average.
Rejected the CFA franc, a French colonial currency designed to keep Africa in perpetual subjugation
Burkina Faso expelled French diplomats and the military attaché
When Gen. Langley implied Capt. Traoré was an enemy to U.S. interests, it was a dark reminder of the targeting, vilification, and subsequent assassination of Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi in a U.S. and NATO invasion in 2011. First comes the character assassination, then the accusation that he is harming his own people, then comes invasion and elimination.
However, based on the recent pro-world Traoré demonstrations of support by people who support freedom, justice, equality, independence, and African unity, they are declaring: Never again will you kill our visionaries.
