Burkina Faso's military leader warns challengers amid rumours of a power struggle

The head of Burkina Faso's military government, Ibrahim Traore, has sought to stamp out speculation of a power struggle within its ranks, warning he intends to remain the country's only leader.

"There can't be two captains on one ship," the authoritarian Traore told community leaders in Ouahigouya in the north of the country on Thursday.

The prolonged absence of two leading figures has fuelled rumours of a tussle within the military government, which came to power in a coup in September 2022.

His second-in-command, Oumarou Yabre, is one of the most influential figures in Burkina's security apparatus.

A security official said Yabre stopped going to his office at the National Intelligence Agency, and the security detail assigned to his home has been cut substantially.

Farouk Azaria Sorgho, junta spokesperson and commander of a powerful Rapid Intervention Battalion, is his third-in-command.

He has become central to cleaning up public administration, denouncing cases of financial misconduct, and meting out harsh punishments.

But since mid-May, Battalion No. 4 has been run by Sorgho's deputy, and security officials allege the commander has been "abducted" by Traore associates.

Neither of the men has been seen in public since May.

"Everyone who works with me knows how I operate," the 38-year-old captain said.

"If anyone screws up, I'll take you down without a second thought. There are no strongmen around me," he threatened.

"I’ve got a mission and they’re all following it. That’s why we’re here. And if anyone screws up, I’ll take you down without a second thought," he said.

Meanwhile, security operations have intensified in the capital, Ouagadougou, over the past two months.

Local residents say roads that were closed for years have been reopened to reroute traffic away from the presidential palace, where security checkpoints have been set up.