By John Ikani
Burkina Faso’s junta on Wednesday said its security and intelligence services successfully prevented a coup attempt.
The junta did not provide specific details regarding the individuals allegedly involved but did mention the apprehension of “officers and other alleged actors.”
According to the statement, the junta has detained four individuals in connection with the thwarted coup.
On the preceding Tuesday, supporters of junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traore gathered in the capital city, Ouagadougou, in response to a call for their support.
The call was prompted by rumours circulating on social media about a potential coup.
Earlier in the week, the junta took the step of suspending the French news magazine, Jeune Afrique, citing an “untruthful” report about internal tensions within Burkina Faso’s armed forces.
Burkina Faso’s History of Coups
Captain Ibrahim Traore assumed power through a coup on September 30, 2022, marking the country’s second coup within the span of eight months.
Traore’s rise to power involved the overthrow of Lt. Col. Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who had previously removed the democratically elected President Roch Marc Kabore from office in January 2022.
The current junta argued that Sandaogo’s military regime had failed to address Burkina Faso’s pressing security challenges. The nation has faced escalating attacks by extremist groups affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State, resulting in the displacement of over 2 million people and a significant loss of life.
In the aftermath of the initial coup in January 2022, fatalities stemming from violence linked to militant groups have tripled compared to the eighteen months preceding the coup, as indicated by a report from the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.
