Burkina Faso’s military leader, Ibrahim Traore, has moved to dismiss reports of internal divisions within the junta, insisting that he remains the country’s only leader.
Speaking to community leaders in Ouahigouya, northern Burkina Faso, Traore warned against any attempt to challenge his authority, saying there could not be “two captains on one ship”.
The 38-year-old military ruler said those working with him understood his leadership style, adding that anyone who undermines his authority would face consequences.
Speculation of a power struggle within the junta intensified following the prolonged absence of two senior figures – Oumarou Yabre, head of intelligence and the National Security Council, and Farouk Azaria Sorgho, the regime’s spokesman and commander of a key Rapid Intervention Battalion.
Yabre, considered the second most powerful figure in the military government, has not been seen in public since late May, while Sorgho has also remained out of public view since mid-May.
Security sources have alleged growing tensions within the leadership, with reports that some officials linked to the two commanders have been removed, arrested or gone missing. However, Traore has rejected claims of division, maintaining control over the junta that seized power in a 2022 coup.
The developments come as security operations intensify in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, amid growing uncertainty over the future direction of the military government.
