The government in Burkina Faso has denied reports of an alleged military coup. Shots were fired in some military camps on Sunday. But it is not true that the army has taken power, said a government spokesman.
According to a Reuters reporter, shots were heard in the main military camp in the capital, Ouagadougou. Shots are also said to have been fired at other military bases. Then it was said on Internet platforms that the military had taken power. The Army General Staff is housed on the grounds of the main camp in the capital. In addition, there are soldiers in a prison who were involved in a failed coup attempt in 2015.
For months there have been repeated protests in the West African country with ongoing demands for the resignation of President Roch Kaboré. The reason is recurring Islamist terrorist attacks. It was only on Saturday that security forces used tear gas against demonstrators again. There was a change of government in December after Prime Minister Christophe Dabire submitted his resignation. At the beginning of January, the country’s authorities arrested several soldiers on suspicion of conspiracy.
Burkina Faso has 21 million inhabitants and is in crisis due to climate change and increasing Islamist terror. More than a million residents are considered internally displaced. In the past year and a half there have been successful coup attempts in the region in Mali and Guinea. The military took power in Chad in 2021 after President Idriss Deby was killed in fighting.