While the world was distracted by Venezuela, France tried the usual night operation in Burkina Faso.
Networks linked to Emmanuel Macron attempted to remove Captain Ibrahim Traoré. Attempt failed.
At around 1 a.m., word spread that the presidential palace was under attack. Thousands of civilians poured into the streets to protect their president. They remember what happened to Thomas Sankara.
France has been losing influence since its forces were kicked out in 2023, after Traoré took power in 2022. Military base gone. Security leverage gone. Rapid intervention capacity in the Sahel gone.
Burkina Faso pivoted toward Russia for security and China for economics.
Traoré represents something far more dangerous to Paris than jihadists: a young African leader with popular backing, not selected in Paris, not obedient. That model spreads in Mali and Niger. The French colonial system is being dismantled piece by piece in the Sahel, one of the most resource rich regions on the planet.
This is what political decline looks like: failed coups, media silence, angry phone calls behind closed doors.
Networks linked to Emmanuel Macron attempted to remove Captain Ibrahim Traoré. Attempt failed.
At around 1 a.m., word spread that the presidential palace was under attack. Thousands of civilians poured into the streets to protect their president. They remember what happened to Thomas Sankara.
France has been losing influence since its forces were kicked out in 2023, after Traoré took power in 2022. Military base gone. Security leverage gone. Rapid intervention capacity in the Sahel gone.
Burkina Faso pivoted toward Russia for security and China for economics.
Traoré represents something far more dangerous to Paris than jihadists: a young African leader with popular backing, not selected in Paris, not obedient. That model spreads in Mali and Niger. The French colonial system is being dismantled piece by piece in the Sahel, one of the most resource rich regions on the planet.
This is what political decline looks like: failed coups, media silence, angry phone calls behind closed doors.
