There was mention of Traoré at an April 3 hearing in Washington held by the Senate Committee on Armed Services. Senator Roger Wicker commented on “the ruling elite of a country [in Africa] receiving gratuities on the side.” Responding, General Michael Langley, head of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), stated that, for “Captain Traore in Burkina Faso … gold reserves … are just in exchange to protect the Junta [sic] regime.”

They’re angry about not being able to rob the Burkinabe people, ruin the environment. May Traoré and the Sahel alliance live long and prosper.