Burkina Faso: Why support for ‘The People’s Captain’ is understandable but misguided

The essay examines the rise of Captain Ibrahim Traoré in Burkina Faso, analyzing the socio-political drivers of his popularity—such as the 'youth bulge', failure of previous civilian regimes, and the threat of violent religious extremism—against the actual outcomes of his rule. The author contends that military governance is fundamentally unsuitable for state administration and that under Traoré, Burkina Faso has seen a decline in security, a shrinking of civic space, and an increase in human rights violations. The text further questions the efficacy of shifting foreign alliances from France to Russia, noting that terrorism-related fatalities remain high despite the deployment of the Russian Africa Corps.

• Public support for military takeovers in Africa is driven by a lack of virtuous civilian leadership, with 53% of Africans across 39 countries willing to accept military rule if elected leaders abuse power.
• Burkina Faso has experienced a severe escalation in terrorism, ranking 1st in the Global Terrorism Index for both 2024 and 2025, despite the military's claim to be the solution to violent religious extremism.
• The 'youth bulge' in Africa, where over 60% of the population was under 25 in 2022, contributes to a 'youthlash'—a reaction against current democratic models and an increased tolerance for authoritarian 'strong' leaders like Traoré.
• Security in Burkina Faso has deteriorated under Traoré's leadership, contradicting his pledge to improve the situation within 'two to three months'.
• Civic freedoms and human rights have declined sharply under the military regime, with Freedom House scoring the country's political rights and civil liberties at 25/100 in 2025, down from 54/100 in 2021.
• The shift toward Russian military partnerships, including the deployment of the Africa Corps in January 2024, has not yielded positive security results, with terrorism-related fatalities exceeding 1,000 for three consecutive years as of 2025.

APA

Bailie, C. (2025). Burkina Faso: Why support for ‘The People’s Captain’ is understandable but misguided. Good Governance Africa. https://gga.org/burkina-faso-why-support-for-the-peoples-captain-is-understandable-but-misguided/

Chicago

Bailie, Craig. Burkina Faso: Why support for ‘The People’s Captain’ is understandable but misguided. Good Governance Africa, 2025. https://gga.org/burkina-faso-why-support-for-the-peoples-captain-is-understandable-but-misguided/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bailie |first1=Craig |title=Burkina Faso: Why support for ‘The People’s Captain’ is understandable but misguided |publisher=Good Governance Africa |date=28 July 2025 |url=https://gga.org/burkina-faso-why-support-for-the-peoples-captain-is-understandable-but-misguided/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bailie2025burkina, author = {Bailie, Craig}, title = {{Burkina Faso: Why support for ‘The People’s Captain’ is understandable but misguided}}, institution = {Good Governance Africa}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://gga.org/burkina-faso-why-support-for-the-peoples-captain-is-understandable-but-misguided/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }