Burkina Faso’s military government says it has foiled a “major plot” to overthrow Ibrahim Traoré, junta leader, accusing current and former soldiers of conspiring with terrorist leaders and Ivory coast-based masterminds to launch an armed assault on the presidential palace.
Mahamadou Sana, Burkina Faso’s Security Minister, speaking on state television on Monday, revealed that the failed coup attempt was planned for Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
He claimed the conspirators, allegedly operating from neighbouring Ivory Coast, aimed to plunge the country into chaos and hand over control to an international body.
According to Sana, the plan involved using religious and traditional leaders to persuade army officers to turn against the government.
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“The manoeuvre was to culminate in an assault on the presidency of Faso by a group of soldiers recruited by the nation’s enemies,” he said.
Two former army officers based in Ivory Coast were named as the alleged masterminds behind the scheme.
Sana also claimed sensitive military information had been leaked to terrorist groups, fueling attacks on both soldiers and civilians in an effort to destabilise the regime.
Last week, several military personnel, including two officers, were reportedly arrested in connection with the plot, AFP reported, citing security sources.
Ivory Coast has not officially responded to the allegations.
This is not the first time the junta has claimed to have thwarted efforts to remove Traoré, who seized power in 2022 amid rising jihadist violence.
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Last November, authorities said they had disrupted a similar destabilisation plot.
Burkina Faso remains in the grip of an insurgency, with around 40% of its territory believed to be controlled by armed jihadist groups.
Despite promises of improved security and new partnerships including growing ties with Russia, the country continues to suffer frequent militant attacks.
The latest development comes as Burkina Faso, alongside fellow military-led states Mali and Niger, moves further away from traditional Western alliances.
All three countries have severed ties with former colonial power France and withdrawn from the West African bloc, ECOWAS, opting instead to form a new security and economic alliance.
