Burkina Faso: how four years under Ibrahim Traoré reshaped the lives of millions

The human cost of a record under scrutiny

When Ibrahim Traoré addressed the nation on 27 September 2026 to mark four years in power, his account centred on military operations, reclaimed territory, new equipment, investment programmes and economic initiatives. These are the elements his government presents as proof of progress. Yet a national assessment cannot be written solely by those who govern. It must also be measured against the daily reality of the people who live with the consequences.

Displacement: the most visible consequence

The most pressing question remains one of security. Four years after Ibrahim Traoré took office, how many Burkinabè can genuinely live in their own homes without fear?Burkina Faso continues to face a displacement crisis of enormous scale. By the end of 2025, UNHCR data recorded 2,062,534 internally displaced persons more than two million Burkinabè forced to leave their homes while remaining within the country’s borders. When refugees and asylum seekers are included, the number of forcibly displaced people exceeded 2.1 million.

The effects of this crisis extend well beyond Burkina Faso’s frontiers. In neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire, UNHCR counted approximately 82,000 Burkinabè refugees in June 2026, out of a total of 93,200 refugees and asylum seekers hosted in the country.

Having travelled to a camp sheltering Burkinabè refugees in northern Côte d’Ivoire, I witnessed the reality behind these figures. The sheer number of people, the displaced families, the children, the faces marked by exile and the accounts of those who abandoned their homes left me speechless.

Beyond the statistics

Behind every number lies a shattered existence: families separated from their land, farmers unable to cultivate, children deprived of a normal education and communities compelled to rebuild their lives elsewhere. A so-called “reclaimed” area cannot be considered permanently secure merely because the army has reoccupied it. True recovery begins only when residents can return for good, work their fields, send their children to school, access healthcare and live without the fear of another attack. A territory retaken on a map is not necessarily a territory made habitable again.

Is dissent still permitted?

A second question concerns the space left for criticism. In 2026, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International documented restrictions targeting journalists, civil society organisations and dissenting voices. HRW notably reported the dissolution of 118 civil society organisations and continues to seek answers regarding the fate of journalist Serge Oulon.

These allegations must be examined and documented case by case. The underlying principle, however, is straightforward: criticising a government does not mean being against one’s country. National security should not become an automatic response to any contradiction. A journalist seeking accountability, a citizen questioning a decision or an organisation documenting a situation do not automatically become enemies of the nation. The government is not the country.

The only record that matters is the people’s

Ibrahim Traoré may highlight his achievements. His supporters may view military operations, investments and economic initiatives as significant advances. These claims deserve examination on the basis of verifiable facts.

But any honest assessment must also include the displaced, the refugees, the bereaved families, the abandoned villages and those still living in uncertainty.

After four years in power, the essential questions remain: How many Burkinabè can live in their own homes? How many can work their land? How many can send their children to school in safety? How many have been forced to seek refuge in neighbouring countries? And above all, how many can freely criticise those who govern them?

A genuine record should not fear such questions. When tens of thousands of Burkinabè have sought refuge in Côte d’Ivoire and more than two million are displaced within their own country, presenting figures, speeches and images of achievements is not enough to declare that all is well. The true measure of a record is also found in the lives of those who have lost everything.

A people is not liberated by being silenced. It is liberated when it can live in safety, speak freely and hold those in power to account.

By Daniel Mbami — Politics and Security

By Daniel Mbami — Politics and Security