By Saymore Masaisai
My fellow #YALIAlumni might have a problem with what I will say.
From a Concerned African and YALI Alumnus
General Langley,
As a proud alumnus of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), I stand for African progress, sovereignty, and sustainable development, not as defined by foreign powers, but by the will and wisdom of African people themselves. It is with deep concern and growing anger that I observe the increasing militarized posture of the United States in West Africa, particularly the threats and suggestions of potential intervention in Burkina Faso. Let me be clear: Africa does not need another Libya. We will not accept foreign invasions disguised as humanitarian rescue missions. We have learned from history — because we are still living its consequences.
The Truth About Libya Cannot Be Buried
In 2011, under the guise of “protecting civilians,” the U.S. and its NATO allies unleashed a military campaign in Libya. You claimed it was about saving lives. What followed was not peace, not democracy, not development — but the destruction of an entire nation. A sovereign government was dismantled without a plan, creating a power vacuum that fueled civil war, warlordism, and the rise of extremist factions.
Libya today is a fractured, unstable state where militias trade bullets and civilians live in fear. This is the direct legacy of American bombs.
Migrants are trafficked and sold in modern-day slave markets. Infrastructure has collapsed. And Libya, once Africa’s most prosperous country, is now a cautionary tale. The so-called protection of civilians led to the long-term suffering of millions.
You do not have the moral authority to speak of protecting Africans.
Africa Is Not a Battleground for Global Hegemony
Burkina Faso, like many African nations, is navigating its own complex path toward self-determined governance. That journey must be African-led — not dictated at gunpoint by foreign generals or manipulated through covert destabilization tactics.
What is happening across the Sahel cannot be solved by drones, troops, or clandestine operations. What we need is respect for our sovereignty. As someone trained under a program funded by the U.S. government, I now use my voice to call out the contradiction. YALI aims to empower African leaders — yet U.S. foreign policy continues to undermine African leadership when it doesn’t align with U.S. interests. You cannot empower young Africans in conference rooms while destabilizing their nations from command centers.
We demand a new posture from the United States: -Withdraw from imperial attitudes & military adventurism.
-End covert interference and proxy manipulation.
– Invest in peacebuilding, education, and sustainable partnerships — not surveillance and warfare.
Let Libya be the last example of America’s violent mistake in Africa — not the blueprint for another one. Africa will rise — not with American missiles, but with African minds, hearts, and hands.
