Burkina Faso's Traore: Fact-Checking the Viral Debt Claim

Burkina Faso's Young Leader: Popularity, Economics, and a Viral Claim Burkina Faso, a West African nation, is currently led by its transitional President, Captain Ibrahim Traore, who assumed power in September 2022. His youth and populist messaging have resonated strongly across the African continent. This video from TRT Afrika explores the current economic state of the country under Traore's leadership, focusing on a recent viral claim that he had paid off the nation's external debt. The claim, widely circulated in March 2025, gained significant traction. However, the video interviews expert Brian Okoth, who provides data from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to refute this claim. Okoth states, "By the end of 2024, Burkina Faso had an external debt of 5.6 billion US dollars." This directly contradicts the viral narrative. Despite the inaccurate debt claim, the video highlights Traore's popularity and his "Africa First" message, which appeals to a younger demographic. The video also notes that Burkina Faso's economy experienced a downturn between 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but rebounded in 2023. The video concludes by questioning whether Traore's actions align with his populist rhetoric. The video underscores the importance of verifying information and the complexity of assessing a leader's performance based on both popularity and economic indicators.