⁸Four years ago, Burkina Faso was already one of the most troubled countries in the Sahel.
The country was fighting an expanding insurgency.
Millions of people were being displaced.
The government was struggling to control large parts of its territory.
And public frustration with the political leadership and the security situation was growing rapidly.
Then, in September 2022, a young army captain named Ibrahim Traoré seized power.
Since then, Burkina Faso has undergone one of the most dramatic political transformations in modern West Africa.
The country has moved away from traditional Western partners.
It has strengthened its relationship with Russia.
It has withdrawn from ECOWAS alongside Mali and Niger.
It has pursued greater state control over gold and other natural resources.
It has expanded domestic military production.
And the government has launched an increasingly ambitious program of infrastructure, agriculture, energy and industrial projects.
But here is the important question:
After almost four years, what has actually changed?
Has Burkina Faso become more secure?
Has the economy improved?
Is the country finally gaining more control over its gold?
Are ordinary Burkinabè seeing the benefits?
And perhaps most importantly—
is Traoré's model actually changing Burkina Faso, or is the country simply changing direction while the biggest problems remain?
Today, we're going to look at the evidence.
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