The spokesperson for the government of Burkina Faso on Thursday said it has thwarted a fresh coup attempt to topple the government of the day.
The government, however, described the coup attempt as an “umpteenth attempt at destabilizing” the Sahelian nation, adding that the alleged coup plotters have been arrested.
Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo said preliminary investigations revealed that the coup was scheduled to take place on January 14.
According to him, this is the fourth coup attempt authorities in Burkina Faso have claimed to have thwarted since Captain Ibrahim Traoré took power by force in September 2022.
He added that a network of military officers, some retired, some active, as well as civilians and activists, conspired to destabilise the institutions of Burkina Faso.
Ouédraogo explained that the network allegedly sought to target citizens’ watch bodies to sway the people’s support for the ruling Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (MPSR).
The statement further stated that foreign funding was being unblocked for the accused to proceed with their plan and an
undisclosed number of people were detained for questioning, and technical analyses were carried out.
The government spokesperson said intelligence services and defence forces were vigilant to thwart the coup.
