Second Military Coup in Burkina Faso — Russia-Aligned Junta Takes Power

On September 30, 2022, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, 34, overthrew Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba in Burkina Faso's second military coup in eight months, after jihadist forces had expanded to control nearly 40 percent of the country. Supporters of the new junta waved Russian flags in the streets of Ouagadougou. The Wagner Group's Yevgeny Prigozhin congratulated Traoré. In January 2023 Traoré expelled French military forces and terminated bilateral defense accords. By January 2026, Traoré had dissolved all political parties and declared a permanent revolutionary government. The coup completed the Sahel's turn from France toward Russia, mirroring developments in neighboring Mali.