On Wednesday, 10 December 2025, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who has led Burkina Faso since September 2022, declared during a televised address that the country “is a showcase, a model,” highlighting what he described as significant security improvements. “All enemy resistance that stood against our forces has been crushed”, he said.
The message came on the eve of Burkina Faso’s 65th Independence Day. Traoré positioned himself as a wartime leader, delivering his speech from a rural setting surrounded by armoured vehicles. He praised the armed forces, claiming that several areas had been retaken from “the enemy,” though without specifying which localities. He warned that armed groups had only two choices: “flee Burkina Faso or die.”
Traoré urged economic actors to shift towards local processing of raw materials and called on health workers, teachers and farmers to intensify their efforts. He said that global attention is on Burkina Faso, insisting that the nation has become “a model” meant to inspire other African peoples to join “the revolutionary struggle” for sovereignty and prosperity. He reaffirmed his commitment to pursuing the country’s current trajectory and encouraged young people to support the fight for independence and freedom.