US Africa Command (AFRICOM) Commander General Michael Langley has defended his criticism of Burkina Faso’s President Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
Langley’s statement during a U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on April 3, 2025, sparked controversy across Africa.
Langley accused Burkina Faso’s President, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, of misusing the country’s substantial gold reserves to protect his military regime rather than benefiting the citizens.
However, in an interview on May 27, Langley said he made the statement from a military perspective.
He explained that Burkina Faso is a sovereign state capable of making its own decisions on how it uses their resources.
“Let me speak to Burkina Faso’s sovereignty. They maintain their sovereignty and make their decisions on how they use their resources. They make their decisions about where their resources go for military support,” he said.
“That’s their sovereign right. But my cautionary tale was just from a military perspective. That was a Senate Armed Services Committee asking me a direct question.”
Langley said the country has a lot of good things ongoing under Traoré.
However, he emphasized that while Burkina Faso has made notable strides, the military remains its weakest link in the fight against terrorism.
The General argued that Burkina Faso is the epicenter of world terrorism, and a lot of resources should be allocated to fighting the terrorists.
“Burkina Faso, a lot of great things are going on to progress them forward. Okay. But then, when you look at the military part of it, knowing that that’s the epicenter of global terrorism, it was my time to illuminate that this is probably their weakest point, and there needs to be sufficient resources going towards the whole fight against terrorism in that country,” he said.
Also Read: Who is Michael Langley; US General Who Sparked Uproar After Criticizing Ibrahim Traore
General Michael Langley Addresses Increasing Terrorists Gangs
Additionally, Langley said terrorist groups, including ISIS, JNIM and Al-Qaeda are increasing their presence in the country.
“They make their decisions, though. That’s their sovereignty, their sovereign right to make decisions, what is appropriate, what’s not,” he said.
“But I wanted to illuminate that it’s going in the wrong direction now. ISIS is getting stronger. JNIM is getting stronger. Al-Qaeda in the lands of the Maghreb is getting stronger in that country.”
Also Read: Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traoré Is Making Waves in West Africa. Who Is He?
Captain Traoré Response to Gold Claims
In April, Langley claimed that Captain Traoré was using the gold reserves for personal gain rather than national benefit.
He alleged that Traore had diverted national resources for his own security interests, for several media outlets to unleash their displeasure on the US Senate.
In response, Captain Traoré described the remarks as ongoing foreign interference and propaganda campaigns aimed at destabilizing Burkina Faso.
“We must choose to fight, or we will remain slaves forever,” he declared, referencing the country’s colonial history and his government’s determination to maintain sovereignty.
Follow our WhatsApp Channel and X Account for real-time news updates.
