“It’s hard to unite in Africa,” Ibrahim Traoré (video)
In Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré once again delivered a clear and determined speech on the challenges of building African unity. At the dawn of the second half of 2025, the Burkinabe transitional president urged his compatriots to reflect on the achievements and failures of their administration, while situating this assessment within a broader dynamic of consolidating the AES Confederation (Alliance of Sahel States).
« C’est dur de s’unir en Afrique », Ibrahim Traoré
“Unity is hard, especially in Africa. It’s difficult to unite. But it’s the solution,” declared Traoré, on the sidelines of an official flag-raising ceremony and the presentation of the Confederation’s anthem. According to the Burkinabe head of state, foreign powers continue to deploy destabilization strategies to weaken the confederation project by inciting one of the member states to betray the others. “We are approached every day by these imperialists to get one of the three to betray the other,” he revealed, mentioning recurring maneuvers aimed at breaking the ties that unite the three countries.
Beyond this denunciation, Traoré also delivered a more global analysis of international relations. “The world, it’s all about interests. People only come to us for their interests,” he insisted. For him, real sovereignty must involve a collective awareness of its strategic stakes.
One of the levers of this independence, he believes, lies in the exploitation of national wealth. So far, “nothing has yet started in terms of natural resource exploitation and distribution at the popular masses level,” stated the captain, who promises a rapid transformation of Burkina Faso into an emerging country if collective will is present.
He also urged civil servants and administration officials to demonstrate the same commitment as fighters on the frontlines, to build a resilient and dignified society. “Burkina is not poor (…). It’s for this wealth that they don’t want us to realize that we’re rich first,” he proclaimed, before concluding with a promise that “the Sahel will not remain poor.”