The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have responded strongly to recent U.S. accusations against Burkina Faso’s leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré. During a Senate hearing, the U.S. military command, AFRICOM, accused Traoré of using the country’s gold reserves “for personal protection rather than the welfare of its people.”
The EFF calls this a “blatant attempt to undermine Burkina Faso’s sovereignty and control over its natural resources due to their imperialist greed.” The party says these claims are a cover-up for the West’s frustration with Traoré’s reforms, which include removing French troops, canceling exploitative mining deals, and pushing for national self-reliance.
According to the statement, “significant reforms have been implemented to ensure transparent management of national wealth, particularly from mining, to fund essential public services and benefit the majority, not foreign investors.”
The EFF condemned what it described as “the West’s continued interference in African nations’ affairs,” and praised Captain Traoré’s efforts “to reclaim Burkina Faso’s gold for the benefit of its people and to resist neo-colonial pressures.”
