A year and a half after the coup that placed Captain Ibrahim Traoré at the head of Burkina Faso, we attempt to take the pulse of the situation in the country. While it’s tempting to celebrate the victory against French neo-colonialism in the region, new alliances (notably with Russia), the co-optation of Thomas Sankara’s legacy, and the kidnappings of voices critical of the junta can unfortunately be neither ignored nor downplayed. Emmanuel Savadogo (pseudonym) takes stock from Ouagadougou, where he lives.