Burkina Faso’s military government has announced it successfully thwarted what it described as a major coup plot aimed at toppling junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré. According to the country’s Security Minister Mahamadou Sana, the attempted power grab was orchestrated by current and former soldiers, allegedly working in collaboration with leaders of terrorist groups and operatives based in neighboring Ivory Coast.
Speaking on national television, Sana detailed how the plotters planned to storm the presidential palace last week in a coordinated assault. He accused them of trying to plunge the country into chaos and place Burkina Faso under the control of an unnamed international organization.
The alleged coup attempt is the latest in a series of plots targeting the military leadership, which came to power in 2022 following a coup driven by the escalating jihadist insurgency in the region. Despite promises by Capt Traoré to restore security and establish new alliances with Russia, the country continues to grapple with widespread violence. Armed insurgents currently control an estimated 40% of Burkina Faso’s territory.
Sana said the conspirators tried to exploit the influence of religious and traditional leaders to persuade army officers to support the coup. The planned assault on the presidency was reportedly scheduled for 16 April 2025, with soldiers recruited from within the armed forces to execute the attack.
The security minister also accused the masterminds, believed to be former army officers now residing in Ivory Coast of sharing sensitive military information with terrorists. This intelligence allegedly fueled attacks on both military personnel and civilians and was intended to provoke a nationwide revolt.
Although authorities in Ivory Coast have yet to respond to these accusations, Burkina Faso’s leadership has previously criticized its southern neighbor for allegedly harboring exiled opposition figures.
This development follows a similar claim by the junta in November 2024, when it reported foiling another attempt to destabilize the government. Just last week, several soldiers, including two officers, were arrested for their alleged involvement in subversive activities.
Burkina Faso has increasingly isolated itself from the West African regional bloc ECOWAS, alongside military-led governments in Mali and Niger. The three nations have formed a new security and economic alliance, severing ties with former colonial power France and turning toward Russia for support.
The ongoing turmoil underscores the fragile state of governance and security in Burkina Faso, a nation at the heart of the Sahel crisis, where extremist violence continues to endanger both political stability and civilian lives.
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