The Rebellion They Won’t Broadcast: Ibrahim Traoré and the Rise of a Sovereign Burkina Faso

The Revolution Has a Target

Let’s cut through the headlines. What’s happening in Burkina Faso isn’t just political unrest. It’s not about coups or juntas or some "security crisis" the West pretends to care about. It’s a war for the soul of Africa—and the continent's youngest head of state, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, is standing directly in the crosshairs.

Traoré isn’t playing diplomat. He’s not asking permission. Since taking power in 2022 at just 34, he’s done the unthinkable: kicked out French forces, ditched French media, nationalized mining, and openly aligned Burkina Faso with a new anti-colonial bloc. He’s betting everything on the idea that African countries can rise without foreign handcuffs—and that bet has made him dangerous to the people who like their boots on Africa’s neck.

That’s why there have already been at least four assassination attempts. That’s why foreign agents are being caught in the country with espionage gear. And that’s why you’ve probably barely heard about him in the mainstream news—unless it’s to paint him as some reckless soldier. Because what they really fear is that he might succeed.

The April 2025 Plot: $5 Million for a Bullet

In one of the clearest assassination attempts yet, Burkinabè intelligence confirmed that a member of Traoré’s own presidential guard was offered $5 million in cash, plus safe exile for his family, if he would take the shot. The guard turned it down. “I’m not playing Brutus,” he reportedly said—and instead exposed the plot.

But this wasn’t the only one.

• In December 2022, coup plans surfaced just months after Traoré took power.

• In September 2024, authorities revealed that conspirators were operating from Ivory Coast to destabilize the Burkinabè government.

• In April 2025, intelligence intercepted a detailed scheme to storm the presidential palace, using chaos created by terrorist attacks as cover. The goal? Kill Traoré and install a puppet regime, possibly backed by ECOWAS or foreign “peacekeepers.”

The Commando Oumarou Yabré unit thwarted that plot. But authorities said clearly: the forces behind this weren’t acting alone. They named Ivory Coast as a regional player aiding the plotters.

And here’s the uncomfortable truth: many believe Western governments were watching—if not outright helping. Especially France.

Burkina Faso Isn’t Alone. Welcome to the AES Bloc.

What Traoré has done differently is simple: he built a shield. In 2023, Burkina Faso joined with Mali and Niger to form the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). This bloc is more than a defense pact—it’s a declaration of independence from Françafrique, ECOWAS, and the IMF leash.

AES members have:

• Expelled French military bases

• Shut down French broadcasters

• Pledged military solidarity

• Discussed leaving the CFA franc currency zone

• Proposed their own Sahelian Investment Bank

France calls it destabilizing. The West says it’s authoritarianism. But the youth in Ouagadougou, Bamako, and Niamey? They’re calling it liberation.

So if it feels like a full-on regime change operation is brewing… that’s because it is. But this time, there's more than one target.

When a Leader Says "No": The Blueprint of Intervention

If you think Traoré is paranoid, look at the blueprint. Because this playbook—the removal of African, Latin American, and Middle Eastern leaders who dare to defy foreign interests—has been copied and pasted for over a century. Here’s the pattern:

Nationalize your country’s wealth. Reject foreign military presence. Propose a new currency or trading system. Try to unite your neighbors. Watch the coups, sanctions, and "civil unrest" arrive right on schedule.

Africa’s Martyrs

• Patrice Lumumba (Congo, 1961): Wanted to nationalize mining and reject Belgian interference. He was tortured, executed, and dissolved in acid after a coup backed by Belgium and the CIA.

• Thomas Sankara (Burkina Faso, 1987): Traoré’s hero. Built a self-sufficient state, refused foreign loans, cut minister salaries, and blasted the IMF. Killed in a coup led by Blaise Compaoré with French backing.

• Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana, 1966): Pioneer of pan-Africanism. Ousted while abroad in a coup linked to the CIA. Declassified U.S. files confirm direct involvement.

• Muammar Gaddafi (Libya, 2011): Pushed for a gold-backed African currency to rival the dollar and CFA franc. NATO launched a “humanitarian intervention”. Gaddafi was captured and executed. His gold? Gone.

The Middle East Playbook

• Mohammad Mossadegh (Iran, 1953): Nationalized British oil. Overthrown by MI6 and CIA.

• Gamal Abdel Nasser (Egypt, 1956): Took back the Suez Canal. Attacked by France, Britain, and Israel.

• Saddam Hussein (Iraq, 2003): Considered selling oil in euros instead of dollars. U.S. invaded under false pretenses. American companies gained access to Iraqi oil.

• Bashar al-Assad (Syria): Longtime thorn in the West’s side. Rumored to have explored abandoning the dollar. Media campaigns and proxy wars ensued.

🇻 Latin America’s Revolutions Crushed

• Jacobo Árbenz (Guatemala, 1954): Took land from the United Fruit Company. The CIA toppled him to “protect U.S. business interests.”

• Salvador Allende (Chile, 1973): Elected socialist. Nationalized copper. The U.S. backed Pinochet’s military coup.

• Hugo Chávez (Venezuela, 2002): Survived a coup the U.S. knew about in advance. Still faced years of sabotage and sanctions.

Each one of these leaders tried to take back what was theirs. And each time, they were demonized, destabilized, or disappeared.

What Triggers a Coup?

According to 70+ years of records, five moves seem to guarantee foreign interference:

1. Resource Nationalization

2. Currency Independence (like ditching the CFA franc or petrodollar)

3. Military Expulsions (especially of U.S. or French troops)

4. Regional Unity (such as forming blocs like the AES)

5. Alternative Trade Models (like Gaddafi’s gold dinar or oil-for-euros)

Traoré has already done at least four out of five.

He kicked out French forces. He suspended the French media. He began nationalizing gold mining. He created the AES alliance.

And he’s talked openly about leaving the CFA franc, which, by the way, is still printed in France and ties 14 African economies to the French treasury. France keeps 50% of those countries’ reserves in its central bank.

Now you see why they want him gone?

The Modern Twist: We’re Watching This Time

Unlike Sankara or Lumumba, Traoré has one big advantage: millions of connected witnesses. Social media. WhatsApp. Telegram. Pan-African podcasts. Diaspora bloggers. Political meme accounts. This time, the assassins don’t get to act in the dark.

When the April 2025 plot was revealed, it exploded online. Pro-Traoré accounts amplified the news within minutes. Bloggers called out the silence from Western outlets. Pan-Africanists dropped receipts linking back to similar plots in Congo, Libya, and Chile.

"This isn’t paranoia. This is pattern recognition."

More Details:

• Muammar Gaddafi (Libya, 1969–2011):  Gaddafi pushed a pan-African vision – notably a proposed gold-backed “African dinar” to replace Europe’s CFA franc – and sought to unite Africa’s oil exporters under OPEC control.  After Libya became one of Africa’s richest nations, NATO intervened under the guise of humanitarianism and helped topple Gaddafi in 2011.  Declassified sources note Gaddafi amassed 143 tons of gold (and silver) intended to seed a pan-African currency outside Western banking.  This “Gold Dinar” plan alarmed Western powers: one account links Saddam Hussein’s 2003 removal partly to his decision to sell oil in euros, and Gaddafi’s removal similarly eliminated a rival to the dollar-based system.

• Modern Sahel Nationalists:  More recently, Burkina Faso’s Captain Ibrahim Traoré (in power since a 2022 coup) has openly challenged France’s influence.  He has nationalized gold mines and is pushing to leave the CFA franc zone.  In late 2024, he even detained four French intelligence officers, accusing them of espionage and “attempting to destabilize” his anti-French government.  Such arrests illustrate the suspicions many Sahel leaders have of covert foreign meddling.  Counterpunch observers note that the French-controlled CFA franc (used by 14 African states) is “a blatant example of economic neocolonialism”.  When Mali’s and Niger’s juntas moved against the CFA, France and its allies applied heavy pressure.  Thus, in Africa, the pattern is clear: resource-rich nations with reformist leaders – from Lumumba to Sankara to Traoré – have faced coups or covert actions tied to Western economic interests.

Middle East and North Africa

In the MENA region, major oil and strategic players have similar stories.  In 1953, Iran’s nationalist prime minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, boldly nationalized the Anglo–Iranian oil company.  Within weeks, the CIA and Britain’s MI6 covertly orchestrated a coup to remove him and install the Shah, ending democratic rule.  In 1956, Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal (compensating its owners).  France and Britain (former colonial powers) – backed covertly by Israel – launched a military attack to retake the canal.  U.S. and Soviet pressure forced them to withdraw, but the invasion showed how fiercely Western governments protected their economic footholds.

• Iraq (2003):  Saddam Hussein – though a brutal dictator, is widely believed to have been removed not for democracy but for oil.  By 2003, the U.S.-led invasion was framed as ending tyranny, but analysts note that controlling Iraq’s vast oil reserves was the “real objective of the war”.  Saddam’s talks of selling oil in euros (challenging the petrodollar) are often cited as a motive.  After Saddam’s fall, major American companies gained dominance over Iraqi oil, consistent with this economic aim.

• Syria (1970s–present):  Syria’s Assad regime (father Hafez and son Bashar) has long defied Western policies.  The Syrian government explored closer ties with Iran and Russia, and many analysts claim this was perceived as a threat by Israel and the Gulf states.  During the 2011–present civil war, foreign powers poured support into various factions.  Rumors circulated (largely unproven) that Assad considered alternatives to the dollar, even a gold-based currency; Western strategists often insinuated economic motives behind opposition to Assad.  (For instance, Assad banned foreign‐currency transactions in 2020 in a bid to strengthen the pound.)  Regardless, Syria’s example shows how resisting Western economic dominance, whether in currencies or alliances, can trigger international intervention.

• Other Middle Eastern cases:  Egypt’s Muhammad Morsi (2012–13) is illustrative. As the first freely elected president, he sought to reduce Egypt’s dependence on U.S. and Gulf aid (improving ties with Turkey and Iran) and support Palestinian resistance.  In July 2013, he was removed by the military in a coup heavily backed by the U.S., Israel, and Saudi/UAE interests, and replaced by pro-Western General Sisi.  The U.S. had publicly claimed neutrality, but documents and eyewitness accounts later confirmed Washington’s tacit role in Morsi’s ouster.  In the Middle East, any leader challenging Western-backed security or economic orders (oil pricing, aid dependence, alliances) has risked destabilization or overthrow.

Latin America

In Latin America, the Cold War era saw numerous U.S.-backed interventions against left-leaning governments.  These often targeted nationalization or wealth redistribution policies.  For example:

• Guatemala (1954):  President Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán instituted agrarian reforms that expropriated unused lands from the U.S.-owned United Fruit Company.  The CIA sponsored a military coup on June 27, 1954, to overthrow him, explicitly “to protect the profits” of U.S. corporations.  Árbenz was replaced by successive U.S.-friendly dictators, ending Guatemala’s brief democratic revolution.

• Chile (1973):  Socialist President Salvador Allende (in office 1970–73) moved to nationalize copper and other industries.  Despite being democratically elected, he was branded a communist threat by President Nixon’s administration.  Declassified history notes that Allende “was overthrown in a CIA-backed coup” on September 11, 1973.  U.S. intelligence had covertly funded opposition and destabilization efforts before the coup.  The military junta of General Pinochet took power, reversing Allende’s reforms.

• Venezuela (2002):  Hugo Chávez, who had nationalized oil and spent petrodollars on social programs, survived a two-day coup in April 2002.  News reports based on declassified CIA documents confirm that U.S. intelligence “knew of an imminent plot to oust” Chávez but did not warn him.  After massive protests, Chávez was restored to power, but in the interim, the U.S. distanced itself.  (Chávez remained a target of U.S. sanctions until his death.)

Other Latin leaders faced similar fates: Brazil’s leftist President João Goulart was deposed in 1964 with U.S. support; Argentina’s reformer Isabel Perón was overthrown in 1976 during the Dirty War (with backing of right-wing allies); and smaller countries like Honduras (President Manuel Zelaya in 2009) experienced coups that critics describe as U.S.-permitted.  In each case, moves toward national control of the economy or alignment with socialist blocs provoked covert actions.

Common Patterns and Themes

Collectively, these cases reveal clear patterns:

• Economic sovereignty triggers intervention.  Whenever a country attempted to control its own resources or currency, foreign powers often intervened.  Patrice Lumumba’s crime was “insistence on true Congolese independence,” especially plans to nationalize mineral wealth.  Gaddafi’s “real crime” was pushing a gold-backed pan-African currency and uniting African oil producers.  In Asia, Iran’s Mossadegh was toppled for nationalizing oil, and even a rumored move away from the U.S. dollar (as with Iraq’s and Libya’s oil plans) became tied to regime change.

• Currency control as neocolonial leverage.  The persistence of Western-controlled currencies (the franc, pound, dollar) kept many nations in a dependent position.  In Africa, the French CFA franc binds 14 countries’ economies to Paris.  Attempts to ditch it are met with intense pushback (current Malian and Nigerien juntas have challenged the CFA system, provoking sanctions and threats ).  Similarly, Western fears over abandoning the petrodollar system have been cited in Iraq and elsewhere.  In short, foreign powers often view a leader’s monetary reforms or gold-backed currency proposals as existential threats to the global financial order.

• Covert coups and assassinations.  Reformist leaders have been removed by force or intrigue backed from abroad.  The overthrow of Lumumba in 1961 involved the CIA and Belgium; the 1973 coup in Chile was CIA-backed; and Bolivia, Indonesia, and elsewhere saw U.S.-supported military takeovers.  As CounterPunch summarizes, “nationalist and Pan-Africanist leaders” in Africa were “either assassinated or removed through foreign-backed coups” when they opposed Western interests.  Similar accounts exist for the Middle East and Latin America: Mossadegh (Iran, 1953), Goulart (Brazil, 1964), Allende (Chile, 1973), and dozens of others fell to coups with Western backing.

• Foreign military intervention.  Beyond coups, outright invasions have been justified by pretexts (human rights, terrorism) but often had economic aims.  Libya’s 2011 NATO bombing was framed as humanitarian, yet immediately after, Gaddafi’s country was carved up and its gold reserves looted.  Iraq’s 2003 invasion (“shock and awe”) removed Saddam ostensibly for WMDs, but U.S. companies quickly gained oil control.  Such interventions frequently leave weakened states beholden to foreign powers, as Gaddafi himself warned: “They murdered Lumumba… because he dared to plan a gold-based African currency,” he famously said.

• Neo-colonial economic control.  Even in the absence of coups, Western powers maintain influence through debt and trade.  International financial institutions (IMF, World Bank) often impose policies favoring Western firms.  The CFA franc and debt traps keep many African economies constrained.  In Latin America, U.S. aid and tariffs have been wielded to punish leftist governments.  As the CounterPunch analysis notes, neocolonialism today works “through debt dependency, control of natural resources, and trade policies that favor Western economies”.

• Ideological pretexts and media manipulation.  Interventions are often sold to domestic publics as fights against communism or terrorism, masking underlying economic motives.  In 1970, the Nixon administration denounced Allende as a “communist” despite Chile’s democracy.  In 2003, the U.S. invoked WMDs to justify Iraq, but retrospectively focused on oil interests.  Similarly, Chavez was smeared as authoritarian by U.S.-backed media, even as leaks show the CIA knew of a coup plot.  In each era, foreign powers financed opposition propaganda and lobbied international bodies to isolate regimes that defied the status quo.

Other illustrative cases (less covered in Western media) echo these themes.  Guinea’s Sékou Touré (1960–84) was convinced European powers schemed against him when he cut colonial ties.  Ghana’s Nkrumah warned of neo-imperial plots before his CIA-foisted 1966 overthrow.  In Asia, Indonesia’s Sukarno (1960s) fell after a CIA-backed purge linked to his independence policies.  In summary, across regions, the pattern repeats: resource independence + nationalist reforms ⇒ foreign intervention.  The methods evolve (from gunboats and overt colonialism to covert ops and economic coercion), but the goal remains control of strategic assets and markets.

Underreported Cases of Foreign Suppression of Reformist Leaders

1. Africa

Ahmed Sékou Touré (Guinea, 1958–1984)

• What he did: Refused to join Charles de Gaulle’s “French Community” in 1958, declaring Guinea’s full independence—the only Francophone African country to do so.

• Why it mattered: Touré rejected continued French economic control and sought economic self-reliance. He nationalized sectors and expelled French advisors.

• The backlash: France immediately withdrew personnel and funding, even sabotaging infrastructure before leaving. Touré believed France tried to assassinate him multiple times and blamed Paris for orchestrating coups and economic sabotage.

• Legacy: Despite his authoritarianism, Touré’s anti-imperialist stance made him a target. France’s punitive exit from Guinea became a textbook example of neocolonial retaliation.

2. Asia

Sukarno (Indonesia, 1945–1967)

• What he did: Founder of Indonesia and advocate for “Guided Democracy” and non-alignment in the Cold War. Nationalized Dutch companies and rejected the IMF debt.

• Foreign opposition: The CIA funneled money to anti-Sukarno forces as early as 1957. After an alleged communist coup attempt in 1965 (the details remain murky), General Suharto took power in a U.S.-backed purge that killed 500,000–1 million suspected communists and leftists.

• Legacy: Declassified documents show the U.S. supplied kill lists to the Indonesian military. Sukarno’s removal marked a shift toward a staunchly pro-Western and neoliberal regime.

Norodom Sihanouk (Cambodia, 1941–1970)

• What he did: Neutralist prince who tried to keep Cambodia out of the Cold War. Resisted both U.S. and communist pressure.

• What happened: In 1970, he was ousted in a CIA-supported coup by General Lon Nol while on a diplomatic trip to Moscow. This destabilized Cambodia, opening the door for the Khmer Rouge.

• Why it’s hidden: The U.S. later distanced itself from Lon Nol, and the catastrophic result of regime change in Cambodia (genocide) is rarely connected to the original coup.

Mohammad Najibullah (Afghanistan, 1987–1992)

• Who he was: Last president of the Soviet-backed Afghan government, known for supporting secularism and women’s rights.

• What happened: After Soviet withdrawal, the U.S. backed Mujahideen groups that eventually overthrew Najibullah. He was tortured and killed by the Taliban in 1996.

• Underreported fact: U.S. opposition wasn’t to his brutality, but to his alliance with the USSR and his secular, left-leaning governance that clashed with U.S. Cold War goals 3. Latin America

Jacobo Árbenz (Guatemala, 1951–1954)

• What he did: Instituted land reform that directly threatened United Fruit Company (now Chiquita), a U.S. corporate giant.

• What happened: The CIA staged a coup (Operation PBSUCCESS) under the guise of fighting communism. Árbenz was replaced by a military dictatorship that reversed reforms and opened the country to U.S. business.

• Important note: This coup became a Cold War blueprint for regime change using corporate economic interests masked as anti-communist ideology.

Manuel Zelaya (Honduras, 2006–2009)

• Who he was: A moderate reformist who raised the minimum wage, joined the leftist ALBA bloc, and proposed a non-binding referendum on constitutional reforms.

• What happened: He was ousted in a 2009 military coup. Though the U.S. claimed neutrality, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton admitted in her memoir that the U.S. helped legitimize the post-coup regime.

• Media silence: Despite democratic erosion and massive human rights abuses under the post-coup government, Western media framed Zelaya as radical and downplayed U.S. involvement.

4. Middle East (Additional Cases)

Muammar Gaddafi (Libya, 1969–2011) — Already widely covered, but lesser-known aspects:

• He planned a Pan-African communications satellite to break Africa’s dependence on European telecom companies. The West tried to prevent this; when it launched with China’s help, it cost Africa 40% less.

• His Libyan Investment Authority was poised to invest billions into African development banks to free the continent from IMF/World Bank debt traps.

Ali Shariati (Iran, intellectual, 1960s–1970s)

• Who he was: Iranian sociologist and revolutionary who blended Islamic thought with anti-imperialism. His ideas influenced the 1979 revolution but were feared by both the Shah and clerics like Khomeini.

• What happened: Died mysteriously in 1977 in exile—many believe it was a covert assassination.

• Why it matters: Shariati represented the ideological root of a secular, socialist Shi’ism that threatened both monarchic and theocratic authority.