Ibrahim Traoré: Burkina Faso’s young coup leader at 34

After a day of uncertainty in Ouagadougou, about fifteen soldiers announced on Friday, September 30 evening on the national radio and television set that Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba had been removed from his post as president of the transition. 

Eight months after the previous coup, Captain Ibrahim Traoré succeeds the Lieutenant-Colonel at the head of Burkina Faso.

Should this be seen as a sign of fate? At 34, Ibrahim Traoré has become Burkina Faso's new strongman, at the same age as Thomas Sankara. The latter, in the mid-1980s, had taken over what was then Upper Volta after a military putsch.

Captain Ibrahim Traoré is now positioned at the head of Burkina Faso. 

However, he made it known in an interview with RFI that he asserts that he is only there to expedite current affairs.

Until now, Ibrahim Traoré, was chief of artillery of the 10th Regiment of command of support and support based in Kaya. He takes the head of the Patriotic Movement for the restoration and saves it after the fall of Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba.

Enrolled at the University of Ouagadougou in 2006, Ibrahim Traoré graduated top of his class with his degree in fundamental and applied geology. 

Three years later, he then decided to join the Burkinabè armed forces. It was in 2010 that he was recruited for the 12th promotion of the Georges Namoano Military Academy in Pô, which houses the commando training centre.

Already present during the previous coup

After two years of training, the young second lieutenant was assigned to the artillery regiment, based in Kaya in the Center-North region. 

In 2014, he became a lieutenant and, in 2020, he wears his captain's stripes. 

Captain Ibrahim Traoré was appointed chief of artillery of the 10th support and support command regiment in Kaya last March by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba.

he is one of the young officers who overthrew Roch Marc Christian Kaboré on January 24. Like these comrades, Captain Ibrahim Traoré is committed to the fight against armed groups. 

According to his relatives, he regularly visited his men on a security mission.

Ibrahim Traoré followed elite training, notably with the commando units of Pô or in Morocco. Fieldman, IT as his soldiers call him, is respected within the ranks for his commitment to combat and his closeness to men.

Unlike his predecessor, the captain did not go through the military Prytanée. “ It makes a big difference, explains a source close to the army. He is a rank soldier who has risen through the ranks. »