Burkina Faso’s President, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, delivered an upbeat end-of-year address on December 31, highlighting significant progress in security and the country’s attainment of food self-sufficiency, while outlining ambitious development goals for 2026.
In his traditional New Year’s message, Traoré underscored the success of Operation Lalmassga (“Ice Wall”), which he said enabled Burkinabe forces to regain control of dozens of localities previously held by terrorist groups. These gains were recorded notably in the Nakambé region, near the Kompienga Dam, in Namungu in Gulmu, and around Djibo and Toulfé in Namsiguia. The president pledged that military operations would continue up to the country’s borders and commended both the armed forces and the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) for their role in restoring territorial control.
On the humanitarian front, Traoré reported that thousands of internally displaced people have returned to safer areas, where they are receiving assistance to resume farming and benefit from newly constructed infrastructure.
Agriculture featured prominently in the address, with the president announcing that Burkina Faso achieved food self-sufficiency in 2025. He attributed this to targeted agricultural campaigns, improved seed distribution, subsidies, and increased mechanization. For 2026, he announced plans to expand land development, water retention projects, aquaculture, and fodder crop production.
Traoré also highlighted initiatives in mining, education, and health, citing state efforts to strengthen control over mineral resources, expand technical and vocational training, and improve healthcare facilities. Infrastructure development is set to continue, with the creation of new road construction brigades and a move toward high-rise urban development.
Reaffirming Burkina Faso’s sovereign foreign policy, the president said the country remains open to partnerships based on mutual respect, while rejecting external interference. He concluded by calling on citizens to uphold values of integrity, dignity, and patriotism, and to work toward building a corruption-free nation focused on sustainable development.
