Burkina Faso’s military government has announced the successful prevention of a “major coup plot” aimed at overthrowing junta leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré. The thwarted attack was revealed in a televised statement by Burkina Faso’s Security Minister, Mahamadou Sana, on Monday, according to a report by the BBC.

Sana revealed that both active and retired military personnel, allegedly collaborating with terrorist groups, had conspired to launch an assault on the presidential palace. The planned attack was set for last week, with the perpetrators aiming to destabilize the country and establish a new regime controlled by an international entity.

The minister explained that the plotters had also attempted to manipulate public opinion by enlisting religious and traditional leaders to sway military officers in their favor. According to Sana, the coup was scheduled for 16th April, with the conspirators recruiting soldiers and feeding strategic intelligence to insurgent groups to fuel unrest.

He further disclosed that the masterminds of the plot were operating from Ivory Coast, identifying two exiled former army officers as the primary figures behind the operation. As of now, Ivorian authorities have not issued any statement regarding these allegations.

The announcement came on the heels of the arrest of several military personnel, including two officers, who were detained last week on suspicion of involvement in the destabilization efforts, as reported by security sources to AFP.

This is not the first time that Captain Traoré’s regime has faced coup attempts. Since seizing power in 2022 in response to growing jihadist violence, Traoré has struggled to maintain control as nearly 40% of the country remains outside government authority due to insurgent activities.

Despite shifting alliances away from France and toward Russia in search of better security partnerships, Burkina Faso continues to suffer from frequent attacks by jihadist groups. In recent developments, Burkina Faso, along with Mali and Niger, withdrew from the regional West African bloc ECOWAS, forming a new coalition of military governments united by common security challenges and shared ideologies.


(Wafric News)