Burkina Faso’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore, has dismissed speculation of a power struggle within the ruling junta, declaring he intends to remain the country’s sole leader.
Speaking to community leaders in Ouahigouya last week, Traore said, “There can’t be two captains on one ship,” before warning: “If anyone screws up, I’ll take you down without a second thought. There are no strongmen around me.”
Rumours of internal divisions have grown following the prolonged absence of two senior junta figures, Oumarou Yabre and Farouk Azaria Sorgho. Yabre, who heads the intelligence services and National Security Council, has not appeared publicly since late May, while Sorgho, the junta spokesman and commander of a Rapid Intervention Battalion, has been absent since mid-May.
According to security officials cited by AFP, Yabre has stopped reporting to his office and his security detail has been reduced. Sources close to Sorgho also allege he was “abducted” by associates of Traore, while his father, former infrastructure minister Adama Luc Sorgho, was reportedly arrested and later abducted by armed men.
Traore also criticized Islamic preacher Ishaq Kindo, describing him as “fundamentally bad,” amid reports that several of Yabre’s associates have been arrested. Meanwhile, security measures have been tightened in Ouagadougou, with new checkpoints established around the presidential palace.
