OUAGADOUGOU — Burkina Faso’s military-led government announced on Monday that it had thwarted a “major plot” allegedly aimed at overthrowing the junta and plunging the country into chaos, with the masterminds reportedly operating from neighboring Ivory Coast.
In a televised address, Security Minister Mahamadou Sana revealed that the country’s intelligence services uncovered plans for a coordinated assault on the presidency, scheduled to take place 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 stated.
According to the minister, the alleged conspiracy involved a group of soldiers recruited by foreign-based actors to carry out the attack. He specifically named two former army officers—Major Joanny Compaore and Lieutenant Abdramane Barry—as ringleaders believed to be operating from Ivory Coast.
“The brains outside the country are all located in Ivory Coast,” he asserted.
The announcement comes days after a dozen military personnel, including two officers, were arrested on suspicion of plotting to destabilise the government. Security sources confirmed the arrests, which followed accusations by junta supporters of an internal scheme to challenge the ruling authority.
Burkina Faso has been under military rule since a coup in September 2022 led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré. The junta has pledged to restore security amid an ongoing insurgency by jihadist groups affiliated with ISIS and al-Qaeda. However, critics accuse the regime of suppressing dissent and carrying out extrajudicial arrests, especially of civilians perceived as opponents.
Captain Traoré has previously accused Ivory Coast of hosting dissidents and serving as a base for efforts to destabilise Burkina Faso. Monday’s claims are the latest in a series of allegations that signal deepening tensions between the two West African neighbors.
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