Burkina Faso junta claims that its security and intelligence services were able to foil an attempted coup but did not provide further details regarding the incident.
The announcement on Wednesday had officers and others saying that there was a plot to destabilize the country with "the dark intention of attacking the institutions of the Republic and plunging our country in chaos."
Burkina Faso Attempted Coup
However, the statement did not identify anyone but noted that officials made some arrests and that searches continued for others. It said that investigations would help identify the supposed plot's instigators.
The military prosecutor later said four people had been detained, and two were still on the run. The statement noted that officials opened an investigation on Wednesday based on "credible allegations about a plot against state security implicating officers."
On Monday, the military junta announced the suspension of French news magazine Jeune Afrique for publishing what officials called "untruthful" articles. These reported tension and discontent within Burkina Faso's armed forces, as per Reuters.
The day after, thousands of pro-junta demonstrators took to the streets of the nation's capital, Ouagadougou, and elsewhere. It was made to show their support, and the situation sparked rumors of a brewing mutiny against the authorities.
Burkina Faso's junta came into power after two military coups last year, which were partly triggered by a worsening insurgency by armed groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State. The groups have destabilized the area and its neighbors in West Africa's Sahel region.
More than 50 Burkinabe soldiers and volunteer fighters lost their lives during clashes with militants in early September, considered the heaviest losses in months. The military government added that it would work on shedding all "possible light on this plot" and expressed regret for some officers who took part in the attempted coup.
Military Junta's Rule
The military prosecutor also revealed that three soldiers were arrested and charged earlier this month for supposedly plotting against the junta government. According to Aljazeera, the leader of the current ruling military forces is Captain Ibrahim Traore.
The fighting in Burkina Faso has caused more than two million people to be uprooted, making the conflict one of Africa's worst internal displacement crises. Authorities claimed that almost 192,000 internally displaced people had returned home after government forces successfully retook various regions.
The dire situation in Burkina Faso is steadily worsening as the number of people killed by militant Islamist violence has nearly tripled compared to the 18 months before the January 2022 coup. With current trends, an estimated 8,600 people will die due to the violence linked to Islamist groups this year.
The rapid surge of fatalities also follows a rise in the lethality of militant Islamist group attacks. Each violent event in 2023 is linked to five fatalities, a dramatic escalation from the previous year, which recorded an average of 2.4 fatalities per violent event, said the Africa Center.
