There is no better time for African Unity than now. On April 2, General Michael Langley, a United States (US) Marine Corps, who became the sixth Commander of United States Command (AFRICOM) was the centre of anger from progressive Africans across the continent for his  ill-fated, poorly timed and ironic remarks about the Leader of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traore. Michael criticised certain African countries for increased corruption, political instability, and the rise in military coups. In his statement, he mentioned that “West Africa has a complex mix of challenges. The region has recently experienced a wave of military coups, with countries like Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, and Niger facing upheaval as military officers ousted elected governments. These disruptions stem from entrenched corruption, slow economic development, weak democratic institutions, and limited strategic patience”.
Interestingly, Michael reportedly believes that African countries should be left to lead in solving their own issues like the fight against terrorism, climate change and crime. Despite his thoughts  that the USA should work with African nations in a way that respects their autonomy to pursue their goals and maintain their independence, his criticism of Captain Ibrahim Traore, accusing him of diverting his countries gold reserves for personal interest at the expense of his people has drawn sharp criticism and angst across the continent.
Let’s have a short history lesson on American history based on the theory of someone ignoring the plank in their eye to remove the speck of dust from another man’s eye. If recent history is anything to go by, America lost the right or audacity to lecture anyone on democracy. The United States Capitol in Washington DC was attacked by a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump in an attempted self –coup, two months after his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. They sought to keep him in power by preventing a joint session of congress from counting the Electoral College votes to formalise the victory of the president elect-Joe Biden. Michael’s reference to “a wave of military coups” in the region sounds too rich for a high ranking military official serving in Donald J. Trump’s administration. His attempt to lecture Africans about “entrenched corruption” is basically a faux pas, when you consider the felony 35 felony charges of falsifying business records against his commander in Chief, Donald Trump. By the way, Burkina Faso means “the land of upright people”. That’s the guiding ethos of Sankara and Traore.
One of Traore’s first reforms was to take back control of his country’s rich mineral resources including the gold sector. It is unquestionable to note that Traore’s attempt to decolonise the African mind, he request for African countries to be treated with respect and as equal partners has proved too infectious for the political palates and wallets of the West. With Mali, Niger, Senegal and most recently Namibia taking similar stance to re-jig the relationship between the West and African countries, the usual suspects including USA, the UK and the Chief Franco- phone Culprit France have felt uneasy. With the Sahel countries seeking new partnerships in Russia, China, India and South Africa, the stranglehold on the monopoly has caused a lot of financial ripples for some. Did anyone notice how France’s 2025 austerity budget that led to the resignation of its Prime Minister Michel Barnier coincided with the umbilical whiplash from the Sahel states? With Senegal’s Bassirou D Faye and Namibia’s first Female president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (NNN) all making similar waves along their respective political canvasses, it’s easy to see why this African Spring is leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of the usual suspects.
Notwithstanding his surname Langley, a location that evokes the spirit of the CIA that has been credited with coups, assassinations and clandestine political gymnastics on the continent, the memories of African leaders like Patrice Lumumba, Thomas Sankara, Samora Machel, Colonel Gadhafi, as figures of African black consciousness and emancipation has scratched a raw nerve. It is no wonder that, like chickens reacting to the presence of a circling hawk, social media has been awash with a collective resentment of the reminder and the insidiously expressed threats against Traore.
Traore’s unenviable record as “the African leader with the highest number of coups and assassination attempts in the shortest period” since he took power in 2022 has only exercabated the anger towards the perceived, the real and the attempted threats. At this rate, Traore qualifies as an “endangered species and Burkina Faso as a UNESCO Heritage Site. At this rate, the people of Burkina Faso would very much understand if Traore spends a minimum of 25% of his country’s GDP on his security to keep his pulse beating.
So, what is Ibrahim Traore’s
Interestingly, Michael reportedly believes that African countries should be left to lead in solving their own issues like the fight against terrorism, climate change and crime. Despite his thoughts  that the USA should work with African nations in a way that respects their autonomy to pursue their goals and maintain their independence, his criticism of Captain Ibrahim Traore, accusing him of diverting his countries gold reserves for personal interest at the expense of his people has drawn sharp criticism and angst across the continent.
Let’s have a short history lesson on American history based on the theory of someone ignoring the plank in their eye to remove the speck of dust from another man’s eye. If recent history is anything to go by, America lost the right or audacity to lecture anyone on democracy. The United States Capitol in Washington DC was attacked by a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump in an attempted self –coup, two months after his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. They sought to keep him in power by preventing a joint session of congress from counting the Electoral College votes to formalise the victory of the president elect-Joe Biden. Michael’s reference to “a wave of military coups” in the region sounds too rich for a high ranking military official serving in Donald J. Trump’s administration. His attempt to lecture Africans about “entrenched corruption” is basically a faux pas, when you consider the felony 35 felony charges of falsifying business records against his commander in Chief, Donald Trump. By the way, Burkina Faso means “the land of upright people”. That’s the guiding ethos of Sankara and Traore.
One of Traore’s first reforms was to take back control of his country’s rich mineral resources including the gold sector. It is unquestionable to note that Traore’s attempt to decolonise the African mind, he request for African countries to be treated with respect and as equal partners has proved too infectious for the political palates and wallets of the West. With Mali, Niger, Senegal and most recently Namibia taking similar stance to re-jig the relationship between the West and African countries, the usual suspects including USA, the UK and the Chief Franco- phone Culprit France have felt uneasy. With the Sahel countries seeking new partnerships in Russia, China, India and South Africa, the stranglehold on the monopoly has caused a lot of financial ripples for some. Did anyone notice how France’s 2025 austerity budget that led to the resignation of its Prime Minister Michel Barnier coincided with the umbilical whiplash from the Sahel states? With Senegal’s Bassirou D Faye and Namibia’s first Female president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah (NNN) all making similar waves along their respective political canvasses, it’s easy to see why this African Spring is leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of the usual suspects.
Notwithstanding his surname Langley, a location that evokes the spirit of the CIA that has been credited with coups, assassinations and clandestine political gymnastics on the continent, the memories of African leaders like Patrice Lumumba, Thomas Sankara, Samora Machel, Colonel Gadhafi, as figures of African black consciousness and emancipation has scratched a raw nerve. It is no wonder that, like chickens reacting to the presence of a circling hawk, social media has been awash with a collective resentment of the reminder and the insidiously expressed threats against Traore.
Traore’s unenviable record as “the African leader with the highest number of coups and assassination attempts in the shortest period” since he took power in 2022 has only exercabated the anger towards the perceived, the real and the attempted threats. At this rate, Traore qualifies as an “endangered species and Burkina Faso as a UNESCO Heritage Site. At this rate, the people of Burkina Faso would very much understand if Traore spends a minimum of 25% of his country’s GDP on his security to keep his pulse beating.
So, what is Ibrahim Traore’s