A man holds his national flag as people gather to show support for junta leader Ibrahim Traore and demand the departure of the French ambassador at Place de la Nation in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, January 20, 2023. Portal/Vincent Bado/File Photo Purchase license rights
DAKAR, Sept 27 (Portal) – Burkina Faso’s military junta said on Wednesday that an attempted coup the previous day had been foiled by security and intelligence services, without giving details of the incident.
A statement said officials and others had plotted to destabilize the country with “the dark intention of attacking the institutions of the republic and plunging our country into chaos.”
No one was identified, but it was said that some people had been arrested and the search for others was continuing. “Investigations will help unmask the perpetrators of this conspiracy,” it said.
The military prosecutor later said four people had been arrested and two were on the run. It said in a statement that an investigation was launched on Wednesday based on “credible allegations of a conspiracy against state security officials involving civil servants.”
The junta suspended French news magazine Jeune Afrique on Monday for publishing “untrue” articles reporting tensions and discontent within Burkina Faso’s armed forces.
The next day, thousands of pro-junta protesters took to the streets in the capital Ouagadougou and elsewhere to show their support, citing rumors of a looming mutiny against the authorities.
The junta came to power last year after two military coups sparked in part by a worsening insurgency by armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State that has destabilized Burkina Faso and its neighbors in West Africa’s Sahel.
Over 50 Burkinabe soldiers and volunteer fighters were killed in clashes with militants in early September – the heaviest casualties in months.
Reporting by Portal Newsroom, Writing by Alessandra Prentice, Editing by Chris Reese and Grant McCool
Our standards: The Thomson Portal Trust Principles.
Acquire license rights, opens new tab