Four military officers were detained for questioning in Burkina Faso on Thursday following the government’s announcement that they had successfully prevented a coup attempt.
According to military prosecutor Ahmed Ferdinand Sountoura, several officers have been detained for their suspected involvement in a conspiracy against state security. This statement, reported by AFP on Thursday, also revealed that two other individuals involved in the alleged plot are currently evading authorities.
The junta, in a late-night announcement on Wednesday, disclosed that the country’s intelligence and security services had managed to prevent a coup attempt that occurred the previous day. This incident occurred almost exactly a year after Captain Ibrahim Traore took control of Burkina Faso on September 30, 2022. Captain Traore’s ascent marked the second coup in the nation in less than a year, both of which were sparked, in part, by dissatisfaction with the government’s inability to contain a persistent jihadist insurgency that had spilled over from neighboring Mali since 2015.
Late on Tuesday, thousands of citizens took to the streets of the capital city, Ouagadougou, responding to a call from supporters of Captain Traore to “defend” his leadership. These actions were prompted by circulating rumors of a coup attempt on social media.