Burkina Faso’s authorities say they have foiled a new coup attempt aimed at destabilizing the country and overthrowing military leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré, amid ongoing political volatility since the 2022 takeover. Security Minister Mahamadou Sana said in a televised address that the alleged plot was uncovered late on Saturday, January 3, shortly before it was due to be carried out. According to Sana, the plan involved coordinated attacks and targeted assassinations of senior civilian and military figures, including an attempt to neutralize Traoré either through a direct assault or an operation targeting his residence.
The minister said the operation was scheduled to begin around 11 p.m. but was disrupted following intelligence-led interventions. Arrests have already been made, investigations are continuing, and those implicated will be handed over to judicial authorities, he added. Government sources said the situation is under control, though security forces remain on high alert. Sana praised Burkina Faso’s intelligence services for preventing what he described as another attempt to undermine national stability.
Captain Traoré came to power in September 2022 after ousting Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, marking the country’s second coup that year. Since then, Burkina Faso has faced repeated claims of coup plots alongside a worsening security crisis linked to jihadist violence, underscoring the fragile political environment in the Sahel nation.
