Thousands of people rallied in Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou in support of the military junta after an alleged coup attempt and comments by an American official criticizing junta leader Ibrahim Traore.
The West African country’s military government recently said it foiled a “major plot” to overthrow junta leader Capt. Ibrahim Traore, with the army alleging the plotters were based in neighboring Ivory Coast.
Earlier in May, Gen. Michael Langley, the head of U.S. military in Africa, accused Traore during a U.S. Senate committee hearing of using Burkina Faso’s gold reserves to benefit the junta at the expense of the population.
Crowds of protesters gathered at the Place de la Revolution in Ouagadougou, chanting “Long live Captain Traore!” with some holding banners showing a photo of Gen. Langley with the word “slave” written on his head with red marker. Others waved Burkina Faso and Russia’s flag, a close ally of the West African country.
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