Burkina Faso’s military government on Monday announced it had thwarted what it described as a “major plot” aimed at plunging the country into chaos, accusing neighboring Ivory Coast of sheltering the masterminds behind the foiled attempt.
According to a televised statement delivered by Security Minister Mahamadou Sana, the plot was uncovered by the country’s intelligence services and was allegedly scheduled to culminate in an armed assault on the presidential palace in Ouagadougou on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
“The meticulous work of the intelligence service has revealed a major plot being prepared against our country, the ultimate aim of which is to sow total chaos,” Sana declared. “The manoeuvre was to culminate in an assault on the presidency of Faso by a group of soldiers recruited by the nation’s enemies.”
Sana went on to claim that the plot’s masterminds are currently based in Ivory Coast, naming former army officers Major Joanny Compaore and Lieutenant Abdramane Barry as central figures. According to Sana, the individuals had been orchestrating efforts from abroad to recruit disaffected soldiers in a bid to topple the current regime.
At least twelve military personnel, including two senior officers, were arrested in connection with the alleged conspiracy, security sources told AFP. These arrests follow a string of similar detentions in recent months as the junta intensifies its crackdown on perceived dissent within the ranks.
Tensions with Ivory Coast
The junta, led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who seized power in a coup in September 2022, has previously accused Ivory Coast of harboring exiled opposition figures and disgruntled former military officers. In December 2023, Traoré publicly described Ivory Coast as a “center of operations” aimed at destabilizing Burkina Faso — a charge that has further strained relations between the two West African neighbors.
Ivory Coast has yet to respond officially to the latest accusations.
Pattern of Coup Attempts
Since coming to power, Traoré has faced persistent threats to his rule from within the military. Monday’s announcement marks at least the third known coup attempt since Traoré overthrew Lt-Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba in a coup that itself followed an earlier ousting of President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré in January 2022.
In September 2023, the junta claimed to have foiled another plot involving junior officers, just days after a wave of online dissent calling for a return to civilian rule. Again in December 2023, several military personnel were detained under suspicion of conspiring against the transitional government.
Critics say the repeated announcements of coup attempts are part of the junta’s strategy to justify crackdowns on opposition voices and consolidate power amid growing insecurity.
Human Rights Concerns
Burkina Faso’s junta has faced mounting criticism from rights groups and civil society organizations over the increasing repression of dissent, media censorship, and the detention of perceived opponents. Reports of arbitrary arrests, forced disappearances, and intimidation of journalists have been on the rise since Traoré took power.
While the junta insists its actions are necessary to maintain national security and restore order, the country's security situation remains precarious. Jihadist groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State continue to control vast rural areas, displacing more than two million people and causing thousands of deaths.
Traoré had pledged to restore stability and rebuild the army’s morale, but nearly three years into military rule, large swaths of the country remain outside government control.
As of press time, the identities and legal status of the arrested soldiers have not been disclosed, and international observers are closely monitoring the fallout from the latest development. Meanwhile, the government has reiterated its determination to “neutralize all threats to the state,” both within and beyond its borders.
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