Burkina Faso has detained four officers suspected of involvement in a “conspiracy against state security” following the announcement by the military government that they had thwarted a coup attempt.
Military prosecutor Ahmed Ferdinand Sountoura confirmed this in a statement, adding that two other individuals are currently “on the run.”
The junta revealed that the coup attempt was prevented by the intelligence and security services, and the military government has pledged to shed “all possible light on this plot”.
This incident comes nearly a year after junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traore seized power on September 30, 2022, marking Burkina Faso’s second coup in eight months.
These coups have been partly driven by discontent over the government’s failure to address a growing jihadist insurgency originating from neighboring Mali in 2015.
The military prosecutor has called on anyone with information that could help uncover the truth about the coup attempt to come forward.
Following rumors of a coup circulating on social media, thousands of people took to the streets of the capital, Ouagadougou, on Tuesday, in response to a call from Traore supporters to “defend” him.
