The alleged coup plotters had the “dark intention” of “attacking the republic’s institutions and plunging the country into chaos,” the statement said. Information about an attempted coup had already appeared on online services on Tuesday night. After interim President Ibrahim Traoré – who came to power through a military coup last year – appealed to people to support him in the face of an attempted coup, thousands of people took to the streets in the capital Ouagadougou.
Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world and suffered two military coups within a few months last year. The military came to power, similar to neighboring Mali, due to dissatisfaction with the lack of success in the fight against jihadists in the country. Traoré, just 35 years old, has been in power in the West African country for about a year.