Burkina Faso’s military government has announced the foiling of what it described as a “major coup plot” targeting junta leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
Security Minister, Mahamadou Sana, in a televised address on Monday, revealed that both active and retired soldiers had conspired with terrorist groups to storm the presidential palace.
“The plotters had set their sights on 16 April for a direct assault on the presidency. They had been recruiting soldiers and passing strategic information to terrorist elements to fuel unrest and incite rebellion,” Sana said.
He added that the group planned to destabilise the country and install a regime controlled by an international organisation.
According to Sana, the conspirators also tried to manipulate military officers using religious and traditional leaders to rally support for the coup.
He further alleged that the masterminds were operating from Ivory Coast and identified two former army officers believed to be behind the operation.
Ivorian authorities have not yet responded to the allegations.
The announcement follows last week’s arrest of several military personnel, including two officers, suspected of plotting to destabilise the regime, security sources told AFP.
This is not the first reported coup attempt since Traoré seized power in 2022 amid mounting anger over jihadist violence.
Despite moving away from France and forging closer ties with Russia for better security support, attacks by jihadist groups continue to claim lives regularly.
Burkina Faso, along with Mali and Niger, recently withdrew from the regional bloc ECOWAS and formed a new alliance of military-led governments, citing common security threats and shared ideological direction.
