Attempted coup in Burkina Faso

mpr21r
January 8, 2026

The government of Burkina Faso has thwarted a plot orchestrated by the former head of the transitional junta, Colonel Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba. The plan included the assassination of President Ibrahim Traoré, according to Security Minister Mahamadou Sana, in an interview with the public television network RTB.

The coup attempt was launched on January 3, at the same time that the United States kidnapped Maduro in Venezuela.

Burkina Faso's intelligence services had been on high alert for weeks: several barracks in the Burkinabe capital had been mobilized, and arrests had been made.

The destabilization would have been carried out through a series of targeted assassinations of civilian and military leaders, beginning with the neutralization of Captain Ibrahim Traoré, head of state and president of Burkina Faso, either by shooting him in cold blood or by planting explosives at his residence. Following this action, the drone base would be deactivated and a ground military intervention would be launched with “external forces,” said the Burkinabe minister, possibly referring to France, Ivory Coast, and even Togo.

On the night of the coup, hundreds of people took to the streets, especially in Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso. The mobilizations arose from a video posted on social media by Ibrahima Maïga, an exile in the United States, known for his support of Captain Traoré.

The government has identified Colonel Sandaogo Damiba as the main organizer of the coup attempt. His role was to design and plan the actions, seek and mobilize funds, and recruit civilians and military personnel.

The Minister of Security specified that part of the funds, totaling 70 million CFA francs (US$124,600), came from Ivory Coast. The investigation and arrests of the conspirators are ongoing.

“All those involved in this case will appear before the Burkina Faso prosecutor and will face the full force of the law. I want to assure the people of Burkina Faso that the situation is under control,” Sana added.

The government has promised to make public the confessions obtained during the interrogations of the main suspects. RTB broadcast the testimony of one of those arrested, businessman El Hadj Madi Sakandé, who claims to have participated, on behalf of Damiba, in the transfer of funds to the coup plotters and to have been aware of the plans to assassinate President Ibrahim Traoré and several military commanders. According to him, part of the funds—40 million CFA francs (US$71,200)—was transferred to three intermediaries in Ouagadougou.

The government maintains that they often used private individuals to transfer money and carry out orders, and they urge the public to report any suspicious activity.

A previous coup attempt was thwarted in September 2024. Sana declared at the time that Burkinabe civilians and military personnel residing in Ivory Coast had repeatedly attempted to destabilize the country's institutions. The coup plotters are accused of maintaining ties with “foreign powers,” referring to France and Ivory Coast, and groups affiliated with the Islamic State.

Ibrahim Traoré came to power in Burkina Faso following a military coup on September 30, 2022, which ousted Sandaogo Damiba. 

 

Source: https://mpr21.info/intento-de-golpe-de-estado-en-burkina-faso/