Crédito: Pedro Stropasolas/Brasil de Fato

Pedro Stropasolas

In the nights of Ouagadougou, residents occupy roundabouts to support the country’s ongoing revolutionary process

Burkina Faso has once again entered a period of heightened political tension at the start of 2026 after the government reported a new coup attempt. According to the country’s security minister, Mahamadou Sana, the plot involved assassinating President Ibrahim Traoré and eliminating senior officials in order to destabilize the government and trigger foreign military intervention in the Sahel country. Local authorities say the conspiracy involved dissident military personnel and had external backing.

The attempted coup helps explain the significance of the popular night watches that have spread across the country. These vigils emerged in response to a coup attempt in April 2025 and are based on grassroots organization to protect the president and the revolutionary project he represents. It was in this context that BdF closely followed last year the rise of the wayian, citizen vigilance groups that have transformed urban space into a permanent arena of political mobilization.

Walking through Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital, at night means witnessing a collective movement that has taken hold nationwide. At traffic circles, known locally as round-points, groups of residents gather daily starting at 5 p.m. Most are men and young people who remain there until 5 a.m.

The goal of the wayian, as they are called, is singular: to protect President Ibrahim Traoré, whom many regard as the  reincarnation of revolutionary leader and former president Thomas Sankara (1983–1987).

Amadé Maiga, coordinator of the Associations of Citizen Vigilance, leads one of the 24 watch points in the capital, the Ibrahim Traoré roundabout, the closest to the presidential headquarters. He explains the national scale of the mobilization.

“Now, in all 45 provinces, wherever there are roundabouts, people sit there to defend their president. Because Traoré is a president who listens to the people, a president everyone knows will guarantee us full freedom,” Maiga says.

The citizen vigils began as an immediate response to the attempted coup in April, which brought thousands into the streets in Burkina Faso and abroad in defense of Traoré. The plot, described by the Burkinabè government as a “major conspiracy,” included an assault on the presidency and large-scale terrorist attacks.

Popular mobilization spends all night at Youth’s roundpoint | Credit: Pedro Stropasolas/BdF |Crédito: Pedro Stropasolas/Brasil de Fato