The military junta ruling Burkina Faso says it has foiled an attempted coup. Officers and other suspected actors have been arrested, and others are being actively searched for.
The military government in Burkina Faso has said it has prevented an attempted coup. “A verified coup attempt was foiled by Burkina Faso’s intelligence and security services on September 26, 2023,” said a statement read on state television.
Officers and other suspected actors in the “destabilization attempt” have been arrested and other participants are being “actively” searched for. The alleged putschists had the “dark intention” of “attacking the institutions of the republic and plunging the country into chaos,” the statement said.
There are repeated coup attempts in Burkina Faso
The junta shut down the French news magazine “Jeune Afrique” on Monday because it said it had published untrue articles that reported tensions and discontent within the armed forces.
Information about an attempted coup appeared in online services on Tuesday evening. After interim President Ibrahim Traoré – who himself came to power in a military coup last year – called for people to support him in the face of a coup attempt, thousands of people took to the streets in the capital Ouagadougou.
Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world and experienced two military coups within a few months last year. The military came to power, similar to neighboring Mali, out of dissatisfaction with the lack of success in the fight against jihadists in the country. Traoré, who is only 35 years old, has been in power in the West African country for around a year. The junta announced it would hold elections by July 2024.