Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso – Burkina Faso’s military government has announced it thwarted a major coup plot allegedly orchestrated from neighboring Ivory Coast, marking the latest in a series of attempts to unseat junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré. Security Minister Mahamadou Sana revealed on national television that the intelligence service uncovered a plan involving both current and former soldiers, in collaboration with “terrorist leaders,” to storm the presidential palace on April 16, 2025.
According to Sana, the plot’s masterminds, including former officers Major Joanny Compaore and Lieutenant Abdramane Barry, were based in Ivory Coast. The operation was designed to “create total chaos and place the nation under the control of an international organization,” Sana said, adding that the conspirators aimed to recruit religious and traditional leaders to persuade military officers to join the coup.
This incident comes amid heightened insecurity in Burkina Faso, where jihadist groups control roughly 40% of the territory, and the country faces frequent insurgent attacks and mass displacement. The junta, which seized power in 2022, has repeatedly accused Ivory Coast of harboring dissidents and destabilizing the regime. Ivorian authorities have yet to respond to the latest allegations.