Tensions Mount in Burkina Faso a Week After the Coup Attempt

By Michael Oduor

A week after an attempted coup in Burkina Faso, the situation remains tense in Ouagadougou, particularly among the armed forces.

Local media indicate that a meeting scheduled on April 22 at the headquarters of the general staff, which was supposed to include several army officers, was postponed and then later cancelled as the invited officers failed to show up.

According to Radio France Internationale RFI, an influx of people was seen flocking to the Mogho Naaba palace, a traditional authority in Burkina Faso. Among those seen were army personnel and families of missing civilians, further signaling tension within the West African country.

A cabinet meeting also took place on April 24 at the presidential palace under high security, with sniffer dogs and helicopters seen flying around the area during the meeting.

Some military camps were also placed under high supervision. Military vehicles were seen placed at the entrance of the General Baba Sy military camp in the southern part of the capital.

The government of Captain Ibrahim Traore has now called for massive demonstrations on April 30 in support of the regime. Their main objective is to condemn "Western interference," especially after recent accusations by U.S. General Michael Langley of diverting the country's gold reserves to support its own security.

Burkina Faso’s military government said on April 22 that it had foiled a “major plot” to overthrow the country’s junta leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.  

The military government first gained knowledge of the plot when it intercepted communications between a high-ranking Burkinabé military officer and terrorist leaders.

Security Minister Mahamadou Sana said on state television that plotters included current and former soldiers, as well as terrorists. He cited Captain René David Ouédraogo as one of the soldiers who rallied to the plan. Ouédraogo is currently on the run.

The coup attempt aimed to "sow total chaos, and place the country under the supervision of an international organisation", Sana said. Plotters had planned to swarm the presidential palace on 16 April 2025. 

Burkina Faso, along with its neighbors Niger and Mali, has for over a decade battled an insurgency fought by jihadi groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, the ruling juntas have expelled French forces and turned to Russia’s mercenary units for security assistance. The three countries have vowed to strengthen their cooperation by establishing a new security alliance, the Alliance of Sahel States.

But the security situation in the Sahel, a vast region on the fringes of the Sahara Desert, has significantly worsened since the junta took power, analysts say, with a record number of attacks and civilians killed both by Islamic militants and government forces.