John AdoyiBurkina Faso military government on Wednesday said the country’s intelligence and security community prevented a coup plot against the government of Ibrahim Traore.
Traore came into power in September 2022 through a military coup.
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Reading out the statement on state television, Emmanuel Ouedraogo, a spokesman for the government said some persons have been arrested while other coup plotters are still on the run.
“A proven coup attempt was foiled on September 26, 2023, by Burkina Faso’s intelligence and security services.
“At present, officers and other alleged participants in this destabilization attempt have been arrested and others are being actively sought,” he read.
The spokesman claimed that the coup plotters had plans of “plunging the country into chaos” and vowed to throw more light on the plot which the government said it “regrets that officers whose oath is to defend their homeland have strayed into an undertaking of this nature, which aims to hinder the Burkinabe people’s march for sovereignty and total liberation from the terrorist hordes trying to enslave them.”
The presence of insurgents in West Africa and most especially the Sahel region has destabilised Burkina Faso, plunging the country of a little over 23 million citizens into internal crises which have led to two military take overs since January 2022.
Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba in January 2022, forced out the government of President Roch Marc Christian Kabore and months later, Colonel Paul was toppled by Captain Ibrahim Traore, whose government is currently under threat.
Recent reports indicate that the conflict in Burkina Faso has forced over two million people to flee their homes, marking one of Africa’s most severe cases of internal displacement. Despite official announcements suggesting the return of nearly 192,000 internally displaced individuals to their original residences following government forces’ reclaiming of several regions, rebel attacks persist, casting doubts on the military success in regaining control of the territory.
Meanwhile, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Ouagadougou, the country’s capital on Tuesday in solidarity with the country’s military rulers amidst news of an attempted coup on the Government of Ibrahim Traore.
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