Over the weekend, hundreds of Burkina Faso citizens living in France took to the streets in protest, labeling President Ibrahim Traoré a dictator and demanding his resignation. Chants of opposition echoed through the streets, with placards accusing the young leader of suppressing freedoms and leading the country into uncertainty.
But as the protests gain global media attention, an important question arises: Is this criticism truly fair?
President Ibrahim Traoré, who took power in 2022 through a military coup, has consistently positioned himself as a leader trying to return sovereignty, security, and dignity to the people of Burkina Faso. His government has focused heavily on fighting insurgency, reducing foreign interference, and promoting national pride. To many back home, especially within rural communities facing terror threats, Traoré is seen not as a dictator, but as a necessary force a patriot fighting against neocolonial structures.
It’s easy to protest from Paris, but are these diaspora voices truly connected to the realities on the ground in Ouagadougou, Djibo, or Kaya? While criticism is vital in any democracy, context matters. Burkina Faso is in the midst of a deep and complex struggle politically, economically, and militarily. Traoré’s tough stance may appear authoritarian to some, but to others, it’s a much-needed assertion of national control in a turbulent time.
So again, we must ask: Is it fair to judge a leader fighting for national survival with the same lens we use for peaceful, developed democracies? Or is this protest a reflection of distance both in geography and in understanding from the struggle many within the country are actually facing?
