Burkina Faso army says it foiled ‘major’ coup plot

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Security Minister Mahamadou Sana announced the foiling of the coup on television on Monday

Burkina Faso’s military government has said it foiled a “major plot” to overthrow junta leader Capt Ibrahim Traoré, with the army alleging the plotters were based in neighbouring Ivory Coast.

Security Minister Mahamadou Sana said the coup attempt was led by current and former soldiers working with “terrorist leaders”. The intention was to attack the presidential palace last week, he added.

The aim of the plan was to “sow total chaos, and place the country under the supervision of an international organisation”, Sana said on state television on Monday.

It is the latest of several claims of attempts to remove the junta leader who seized power in 2022 amid increasing militant attacks.

Burkina Faso, like its Sahel neighbours, has been battling armed jihadist groups, with an estimated 40% of the country under their control.

Despite promises by Capt Traoré’s military government to improve security and even seeking new security partnerships with Russia, the situation remains dire with frequent attacks from insurgents.

• The region with more ‘terror deaths’ than rest of world combined

In this latest coup attempt, which happened last week but details of which have only just been released, Sana said the plotters attempted to use Burkinabe religious and traditional leaders to sway army officers into backing the plan.

“The manoeuvre was to culminate, according to the terrorist plotters’ plan, on Wednesday 16 April, 2025 in an assault on the presidency of (Burkina) Faso by a group of soldiers recruited by the nation’s enemies,” he said.

“The brains outside the country are all located in Ivory Coast,” he added, naming in particular two former army officers, believed to be behind the plot.

He said “sensitive information was passed on to “terrorists” to increase attacks on the military and civilians and “incite a revolt against the authorities”.

Last week, several military personnel, including two officers, were arrested for planning to “destabilise” the government, security sources told the AFP news agency.

The Ivorian authorities have not yet commented on claims it hosted the plotters. However, the Burkinabe junta often blames its southern neighbour for supporting its opponents in exile.

The latest claim comes months after Ouagadougou said it thwarted another “destabilisation” plot against the junta last November.

Burkina Faso has broken away from the regional West African bloc, Ecowas. It joined two other military-led states – Mali and Niger – to form a new alliance.

They have cut ties with former colonial power France and allied with Russia instead.