Burkina Faso says it has foiled alleged assassination plot against military leader Capt Traoré
Burkina Faso’s government says it has thwarted a sophisticated plot to assassinate its military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, in an operation uncovered just hours before it was due to take place. Security Minister Mahamadou Sana announced the development in a televised address on Wednesday, accusing Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba, the former junta leader whom Capt Traoré ousted in September 2022, of masterminding the scheme.
Mr Sana claimed intelligence services intercepted communications and seized evidence, including a leaked video of conspirators outlining their plans.
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The alleged plot, set for the evening of Saturday 3 January, reportedly involved two methods to kill the 37-year-old captain: a close-range shooting or a bomb attack at his residence after 23:00 local time (22:00 GMT).
According to Mr Sana, the assailants planned to follow up by targeting other senior military officers and civilian officials.”He Damiba mobilised soldiers and civilians, secured funding of about $125,000 (£98,000) from Ivory Coast, and intended to neutralise our drone fleet to avoid aerial response,” Mr Sana said. Neither Damiba, who is believed to be in exile, nor Ivorian officials have commented on the allegations.
Several arrests have been made, the minister added, though he gave no details on numbers or identities.
“The situation is under control, and we urge the public to avoid dangerous intrigues,” he said, vowing that those detained would face justice.
Capt Traoré seized power in a coup against Damiba, who himself had toppled elected President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré a year earlier amid public anger over spiralling jihadist violence. Since then, Traoré has faced at least two known coup bids while grappling with an insurgency that has killed thousands and displaced more than two million people, nearly 10% of the population.
The West African nation, once a stable democracy, has seen five coups in eight years, fuelling regional instability.
Traoré has expelled French forces, pivoted towards Russia for security aid, and positioned himself as a pan Africanist critic of Western influence, a stance that has won him fans across the continent despite accusations of authoritarianism.
Analysts say the latest claims fit a pattern of post-coup score-settling.
“Damiba’s allies have long been suspected of destabilisation efforts,” said Kabirou Teni, a security expert at the Sahel Institute in Ouagadougou.
“But evidence of foreign funding, if verified, could strain ties with Ivory Coast.”Regional tensionsIvory Coast, a regional economic powerhouse under President Alassane Ouattara, has hosted Damiba since his ousting and maintains close ties with France.
Abidjan has denied past involvement in Burkina plots, but the accusation risks escalating diplomatic friction at a time when jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State are expanding across borders.
Burkina Faso’s military government has not released the alleged video or other evidence publicly, prompting scepticism from opposition figures.
“These claims serve to consolidate power and silence dissent,” said a statement from the banned Movement of the People Against Bad Governance.
Capt Traoré, a former commando officer popular for his fiery anti-imperialist rhetoric, recently extended his transitional rule by five years, delaying elections indefinitely. Supporters credit him with rallying national resistance against insurgents; critics decry media crackdowns and summary executions.
As investigations continue, the incident underscores Burkina Faso’s fragile security landscape, where personal rivalries and ideological battles threaten to deepen the chaos.
