Burkina Faso’s government announced late Tuesday that it had thwarted an alleged coup attempt against President Capt. Ibrahim Traoré, accusing the country’s former transitional leader, Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, of orchestrating the plan.
Security Minister Mahamadou Sana, speaking on national broadcaster RTB, said the operation had been scheduled for Saturday but was disrupted “thanks to the professionalism of the intelligence services.”
According to Sana, the plot envisioned a wave of targeted assassinations of military and civilian officials, beginning with an attempt to kill Mr. Traoré, either “at close range or by planting explosives at his residence.” He added: “After this action, there was to follow an operation to put the drone base out of service, and a ground military intervention by external forces.”
Mr. Sana said authorities were naming only the principal suspect for confidentiality reasons, identifying Mr. Damiba as the architect of the plan. He accused the former leader of raising funds, recruiting soldiers and civilians, and directing the formation of operational cells. Civilians, he said, were tasked with mobilizing supporters to back the takeover once the military action began.
“We will make available to the media the confession videos taken from the hearings of some key actors,” Mr. Sana said. He noted that investigations and arrests were continuing and promised that all those implicated would face prosecutors and “the full force of the law.”
The minister sought to reassure the public, urging calm and insisting that “the situation was under control.”
On Saturday, rumors of a destabilization plot spread rapidly on social media, prompting crowds to take to the streets in support of the government.
Burkina Faso has endured repeated upheaval in recent years. Mr. Traoré seized power on Sept. 30, 2022, ousting Mr. Damiba, who himself had toppled President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré just eight months earlier amid mounting insecurity and frustration over the government’s handling of a jihadist insurgency.
