Burkina Faso authorities have announced they prevented an assassination attempt targeting the country’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.
Security Minister Mahamadou Sana disclosed in a late-night television address that intelligence services intercepted the plot in its final stages. He identified Lieutenant Colonel Paul Henri Damiba, who Traoré overthrew in September 2022, as the alleged mastermind behind the conspiracy.
“Our intelligence services intercepted this operation in the final hours. They had planned to assassinate the head of state and then strike other key institutions, including civilian personalities,” Sana stated. He further claimed the operation received financial backing from Ivory Coast, though neither Damiba nor Ivorian officials have responded to these allegations.
According to Sana, authorities obtained a leaked video showing conspirators outlining their strategy. The footage allegedly revealed plans to kill Traoré either at close range or through explosives planted at his residence, with the attack scheduled for just after 11 p.m. on Saturday, January 3. The plotters then reportedly intended to target additional military and civilian leaders.
The minister alleged that Damiba had recruited military personnel and civilians, obtained foreign funding including approximately $125,000 from Ivory Coast, and planned to disable the country’s drone facilities to prevent foreign intervention.
“We are carrying out ongoing investigations and have made several arrests. These individuals will be brought to justice soon,” Sana announced, without specifying the number of detainees. He assured citizens the situation remained under control and cautioned them against being drawn into dangerous plots.
Since taking power, the 37-year-old Traoré has survived at least two previous coup attempts while confronting escalating jihadist violence that has displaced millions of Burkinabè. Despite accusations of authoritarianism and suppressing dissent through arbitrary arrests and media restrictions, he retains considerable popular support domestically and has attracted followers across Africa with his pan-Africanist messaging and critique of Western involvement.
This incident marks another chapter in Burkina Faso’s accusations of Ivorian interference in its internal affairs, potentially aggravating regional tensions. Damiba, who led Burkina Faso from January to September 2022 after removing an elected government, currently lives in exile in Togo, where he previously expressed good wishes for his successor’s leadership.
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