Burkina Faso’s military prosecutor’s office condemned an attempt to “destabilize state institutions” involving a senior officer who had previously been imprisoned for similar offenses, was recently released and then arrested again.
The military prosecutor’s office points out in a press release published Wednesday evening that “the first elements” of an investigation launched after the denunciation “reveal that soldiers, in collusion with civilians, were preparing to destabilize state institutions”.
A chief warrant officer, Charles Neboa, and a sergeant, Adama Traoré, are cited as members of the group, according to the whistleblower cited by military prosecutors. This group “had been in contact with Lieutenant Colonel Emmanuel Zoungrana’s ‘Green Mamba’ unit and planned simultaneous attacks on Burkina’s Radio-TV (RTB), the House of Arrest and Correction of the Armies (Maca) where these superiors are being held for similar acts and the residence of the head of state,” said military prosecutor Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
Second Arrest
Lieutenant Colonel Zoungrana was arrested for the first time on January 14 and jailed for “attempting to destabilize state institutions”, “misappropriation of public property, forgery and use of forgeries, illicit enrichment and money laundering”.
At that time, Burkina Faso was led by Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, President who was elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2020. He was overthrown in a first coup on January 24, which brought to power a military junta led by Lt. Col. Damiba, in turn overthrown by Captain Ibrahim Traoré on September 30.
Emmanuel Zoungrana was released on bail on December 15 before being arrested again on December 27 at his home in Pabré, around twenty kilometers north of Ouagadougou, “not without resistance”, according to military prosecutors.
In a video shared on Facebook, he claimed to have been the victim of two poisoning attempts while in detention and to have been monitored by drones since his provisional release.
Lt. Col. Zoungrana, 41, a former corps commander of the 12th Infantry Commander Regiment based in Ouahigouya, the capital of the Northern Region, passed the baton on December 21, 2021 before returning to Ouagadougou where he awaited a new assignment.
The former commander of the Western Sector Group of Forces, engaged in the fight against terrorism in a country regularly plagued by jihadist attacks, was recognized for his exploits at arms, particularly for capturing besieged locations.
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