
Ibrahim TraorĂŠ, president of Burkina Faso. Photo: Presidency of Burkina Faso.

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Ibrahim TraorĂŠ, president of Burkina Faso. Photo: Presidency of Burkina Faso.
The government of the African country accuses neighboring CĂ´te dâIvoire of housing coup masterminds
On Monday, the evening of April 21, Burkina Fasoâs military authorities announced that they had dismantled a âmajor plotâ aimed at promoting a coup and âsowing total chaosâ in the West African country.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Security, Mahamadou Sana, who stated that the leaders of the coup attempt are allegedly based in CĂ´te dâIvoire, whose government under President Alassane Ouattara is allied with Franceâs interests in the region.
According to the minister, the plan of the âterroristsâ would be carried out on April 16, 2025, through an assault on Burkina Fasoâs presidency by soldiers recruited by the âenemies of the nation.â The assault was planned to take place simultaneously with other large-scale terrorist attacks.
The minister added that the plot masterminds are still active in the Ivorian capital, Abidjan. âThe minds [behind] the coup attempt are all housed in the neighboring country,â Sana said in an announcement on the countryâs state TV, RTB. He mentioned Commander Joanny CompaorĂŠ and Lieutenant Abdramane Barry, described as deserters who had fled to the neighboring country.
The plot was identified after the government intercepted messages between a Burkina Faso military officer and the heads of terrorist groups discussing details about the positions of the defense, security forces and military operations. According to the government, the information sent to the terrorists was intended to escalate attacks against the security forces and civilians of the government of Ibrahim TraorĂŠ, aiming to âstir up a revolt against the authorities.â
Religious and traditional leaders were also reportedly contacted to convince the military to join the coup project. The goal was to âplace the country under the tutelage of an international organization.â
Military personnel arrested
Rumors of a coup have led to the arrests of several military officers and non-commissioned officers from Burkina Faso in recent weeks. These include FrĂŠdĂŠric Ouedraogo, former commander of the military justice battalion, and Captain ElysĂŠe Tassembedo, commander of the northern sector security forces grouping. Captain Ibrahim TraorĂŠ, head of the military junta that governs the country, called for vigilance, declaring that â[although] stateless, the enemies of the nation are very active.â He added that the Burkina Faso government would âawait them firmlyâ and would be âmerciless.â
Minister Sana concluded his announcement by encouraging the armed forces to âcontinue with their missionâ and inviting the population to âremain calm and vigilantâ and to âflag any suspicious activity.â The Security Ministerâs announcement can be watched in full (in French).
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Other coup attempts
This is not the first time that the countryâs military authorities have announced a coup attempt. In 2024, TraorĂŠ had already claimed the existence of a so-called âoperations center to destabilizeâ the country based in Abidjan. In September of the same year, the junta announced that it had dismantled âseveral attempts at destabilization,â presenting the former president of the transition, Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, as the head of the âmilitary segment of this plotâ in Burkina Faso.
In this same scenario, Ouagadougou says he has asked Abidjan to extradite politicians and military personnel accused of âplotting against Captain Ibrahim TraorĂŠ.â The requests, however, were denied by the Ivorian government.
Tensions between Burkina Faso and CĂ´te dâIvoire
Tensions between the two African neighboring countries intensified after CĂ´te dâIvoire condemned the coup in Niger on July 26, 2023, and supported the position of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to intervene militarily to reinstate former president Mohamed Bazoum, who was ousted after a military and popular uprising took to the streets of the country.
At the time, ECOWAS imposed severe economic sanctions on Niger, which were considered âinhumane, illegal and illegitimateâ by the countryâs population and its leaders.
Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso responded by announcing their withdrawal from the economic bloc, formalized in January this year, and the creation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), which not only strengthened economic cooperation between its members but also consolidated itself as an important military pact against external threats.
(Peoples Dispatch) by Pedro Stropasolas