Burkina Faso Claims Foiled Coup Plot, Points Finger at Ivory Coast

Burkina Faso Claims Foiled Coup Plot, Points Finger at Ivory Coast

Burkina Faso’s military government says it has successfully thwarted a major coup attempt allegedly orchestrated from neighboring Ivory Coast, claiming the goal was to plunge the country into chaos.

In a televised statement on Monday, Security Minister Mahamadou Sana revealed that the country’s intelligence services uncovered an elaborate plan aimed at toppling the regime of Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who seized power in September 2022.

“The intelligence service uncovered a major plot being hatched to throw the nation into total disorder,” Sana announced, describing the scheme as one that would have led to an armed assault on the presidency on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

According to the minister, the coup plot involved a group of soldiers recruited by what he described as “enemies of the nation.” The masterminds of the operation, he alleged, are based in Ivory Coast, and include two former military officers — Major Joanny Compaore and Lieutenant Abdramane Barry.

The junta reported that at least a dozen military personnel, including two officers, were arrested last week in connection with the plot. These individuals were accused of conspiring to destabilize the government — a move the junta claims is part of a broader effort to undermine national stability.

Tensions between Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast have simmered since Traoré took power. The junta has repeatedly accused the Ivorian government of sheltering political dissidents and plotting against Burkina Faso’s leadership.

Despite promises to restore order, Traoré’s rule has been marked by rising insecurity, growing authoritarianism, and a wave of kidnappings and extrajudicial detentions targeting critics of the regime.

Since 2015, Burkina Faso has faced relentless jihadist attacks from groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, further complicating the country’s fragile security landscape.