Abidjan, Ivory Coast — Burkina Faso’s military ruler, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, has sought to quash growing speculation of a power struggle within the ruling junta, declaring there can be only one leader and warning he would swiftly deal with anyone who challenged his authority.

The rumours have been fuelled by the prolonged absence from public view of two of the junta’s most influential figures — Oumarou Yabré, widely regarded as the regime’s second-in-command, and Farouk Azaria Sorgho, the junta’s spokesman and commander of a powerful Rapid Intervention Battalion. Both have not been seen publicly since May.

“There can’t be two captains on one ship,” Traoré told community leaders in Ouahigouya, northern Burkina Faso, on Thursday.

“Everyone who works with me knows how I operate,” the 38-year-old military leader said. “If anyone screws up, I’ll take you down without a second thought. There are no strongmen around me.”

Traoré, who seized power in a September 2022 coup, did not directly address the reported disappearance of either official. However, his remarks appeared aimed at dispelling mounting speculation of divisions within the military leadership.

Yabré, who heads the National Intelligence Agency and the National Security Council, has not appeared in public since late May. Reports of tensions between Traoré and Yabré have circulated since 2023, although both men have repeatedly denied any rift.

A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that Yabré had stopped reporting to his office at the National Intelligence Agency and that the security detail assigned to his residence had been significantly reduced.

“He did not attend the traditional flag-raising ceremony at the presidency, which he usually attends, nor the recent ceremony promoting three senior officers to the rank of general,” another security official said.

Yabré’s associates say several of his close allies have been arrested or abducted, including Islamic preacher Ishaq Kindo, who had criticised proposed legislation regulating religious freedoms.

Referring to Kindo on Thursday, Traoré said: “This man is fundamentally bad. He thought he was powerful because he created an Islamic police force in 2019.”

Two officials considered close to Yabré were also dismissed by presidential decree on June 17, including the chief executive of the National Hydrocarbons Company and a ministerial adviser for youth affairs.

Sorgho, the junta’s high-profile third-ranking figure, has likewise not been seen publicly since mid-May. He commands Rapid Intervention Battalion No. 4, based in Ouagadougou, and serves as spokesman for KORAG, the body established by Traoré to implement the junta’s strategic agenda.

In recent months, Sorgho has become a prominent figure in the government’s anti-corruption campaign, publicly exposing alleged financial misconduct and overseeing disciplinary measures.

Since mid-May, Battalion No. 4 has reportedly been led by Sorgho’s deputy. Security officials allege Sorgho has been “abducted” by associates of Traoré, although no official explanation has been given for his absence.

His father, Adama Luc Sorgho, who served as infrastructure minister until last year, was also arrested before being “abducted” by armed men, according to members of his entourage.

Meanwhile, security measures in the capital, Ouagadougou, have intensified over the past two months. Residents say roads that had been closed for years have been reopened to divert traffic away from the presidential palace, where additional security checkpoints have been established.