The Burkinabe interim government announced in a press release on Wednesday evening that an attempted coup had been foiled yesterday. Several people involved in this attempt have been arrested and others are being actively sought, said the government spokesman.
Published on: 09/27/2023 – 11:31 p.m. Modified on: 09/27/2023 – 11:40 p.m
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The military junta, which has been in power in Burkina Faso since last year, said on Wednesday evening that it had thwarted an attempted coup by members of the security forces and secret services the day before. In a statement, she said that several officers had been arrested and that additional suspects linked to this mutiny were being sought. Without further details at this time.
#Burkina : Following a “proven coup attempt” that took place yesterday, September 26, 2023, officials and other actors have been arrested while others are on the run…
The executive urges the population not to incriminate certain personalities. (communicates) pic.twitter.com/3nCe0k47lV
– Cryspin Laoundiki (@CLaoundiki) September 27, 2023
Demonstration in support of the junta
Rumors that have persisted in recent days about the destabilization of Captain Ibrahim Traoré’s regime were the trigger for a nightly demonstration on Tuesday evening in Ouagadougou in support of Captain Ibrahim Traoré. Thousands of supporters of the junta leader occupied several points in the capital. Social networks broadcast calls for demonstrations from the beginning of the evening, around 8 p.m. Messages indicating an impending coup attempt have been published in reports from supporters of Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who generally serve as a sounding board for the junta’s communications. They called for people to take to the streets to thwart this attempt.
As the evening progressed, more and more people gathered at United Nations Square in the center of Ouagadougou. The crowd also occupied key intersections in the capital such as Place de la Nation and the Transition roundabout, setting up roadblocks to control vehicles.
A military chain of command that is not always respected
This mobilization comes a day after the interim authorities banned the distribution of the Jeune Afrique magazine. The media published two articles revealing “movements in various military camps on the evening of September 20” and tensions within the army. According to Jeune Afrique, Captain Traoré fears a coup attempt as the first anniversary of his takeover on October 2 approaches.
According to several sources, the mood in the military is due to the death of Lieutenant Zanga Moumouni Traoré, who died in battle near Bobo-Dioulasso. With “Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland,” this former special forces member, respected in the army, set out to defend his village under attack by jihadists, against the advice of his superiors did not provide him with the necessary equipment. The families of soldiers killed in battle also complain about the poor preservation of bodies before burial and the sobriety of the funerals, which are now limited to the Sangoulé Lamizana camp in Ouagadougou.
There has been mistrust in the army for some time. Reports of coup attempts, whether proven or unproven, are increasing. In one year, at least two conspiracy cases were investigated by the military justice system. Our sources denounce a “capitanization of the army” and the chain of command is not always respected. For example, the decision to send a contingent to Niger in the event of an attack, while the influence of jihadists in the country is increasing, was not confirmed by the General Staff Reflection Committee. Critical voices are becoming increasingly louder in the country due to the lack of results in the fight against terrorism and the coup leaders’ governance.