Burkina Faso’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, has alleged that operatives from an unnamed Western intelligence agency once offered his government chemical substances to secretly contaminate food and other consumables intended for areas under the control of terrorist groups.
Speaking during an address to members of the armed forces and residents of the Yaadga region, Traoré claimed the proposal involved four different chemical products that could allegedly be mixed into food, beverages, milk, sugar and cigarettes before being transported to territories occupied by armed groups.
According to him, the substances were designed to gradually impair cognitive ability, weaken physical strength and trigger other long-term health complications in those who consumed them.
Traoré said his government rejected the proposal after demanding details about the products and asking whether they had previously been used elsewhere.
He alleged that the individuals behind the proposal admitted the substances had already been deployed in parts of Africa and Asia, a revelation he said reinforced his belief that foreign powers have continued to employ covert methods to undermine African nations.
However, the Burkina Faso leader did not identify the country allegedly involved, provide documentary evidence to support the claims, or disclose when the purported meeting took place.
Traoré used the occasion to encourage Burkinabè citizens to embrace locally produced goods, arguing that dependence on imported products exposes African countries to potential risks and external manipulation.
He also accused foreign powers of exploiting ethnic and religious divisions to destabilise African nations, while urging Africans to become more self-reliant and united.
In a separate allegation, Traoré claimed that in 2023 he received a letter from a French national he identified only as “Daniel,” whom he alleged was linked to France’s external intelligence agency.
According to him, the individual warned that foreign interests would continue efforts to undermine Burkina Faso’s political direction and fuel instability.
The Burkinabè leader, however, did not present evidence to substantiate the allegations against any foreign government, intelligence agency or diplomatic officials.
His remarks come amid increasingly strained relations between Burkina Faso and several Western countries following the country’s military-led transition, the expulsion of French troops and its growing security cooperation with Russia, Mali and Niger.
