Plot to Kill Burkina Faso Leader Foiled, Says Junta
Plot to Kill Burkina Faso Leader Foiled, Says Junta
In a televised statement, the military junta of Burkina Faso announced that it had successfully thwarted a major plot intended to assassinate President Ibrahim Traoré and destabilize the country’s institutions.
The government reported that the operation was allegedly orchestrated by the former interim president, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who is currently in exile in Ivory Coast.
The junta’s spokesperson, Security Minister Mahamadou Sana, detailed that the plot involved a network of both civilian and military actors, including former officials and active security personnel.
According to the government, the group had planned to carry out attacks on strategic locations within the capital, Ouagadougou, and intended to execute senior leaders to trigger a collapse of the current administration.
The investigation has led to the arrest of several individuals, and the government claims to have evidence of communication between the conspirators and external sponsors.
This event marks the latest in a series of reported coup attempts and assassination plots that Captain Traoré has claimed to have survived since taking power in late 2022.
The military leadership continues to maintain that these efforts are part of a broader attempt by foreign-backed interests to undermine the country’s sovereignty and its fight against the ongoing jihadist insurgency.
