Burkina Faso’s transitional government said on Wednesday evening that it had prevented “an attempted coup d’état” the day before, nearly a year after Captain Ibrahim Traoré took control in a putsch.
Officers and others were accused of plotting to destabilise the nation and bring about turmoil.
In the midst of a burgeoning Islamist insurgency, that was the nation’s second coup of 2022.
The officials claimed in a statement read aloud on television on Wednesday night that they had made some arrests and were actively looking for further individuals, without providing any additional information. Four officers have subsequently been detained, according to the military prosecutor.
It said the alleged perpetrators “had the sinister intention of attacking the institutions of the republic and plunging the country into chaos”.
Capt Traoré had issued a statement earlier in the day claiming he was “determined to safely lead the transition to democracy despite adversity and the various maneuvers to halt our inexorable march towards assumed sovereignty.” He also expressed gratitude to pro-junta supporters for “their vigilance.”
The junta has stated that elections will be held by July of next year.
Rumours of a brewing rebellion prompted hundreds of people to take to the streets of the city, Ouagadougou, in support of the junta on Tuesday.
On the same day, the government halted the French-language news magazine Jeune Afrique, accusing it of undermining the military forces in its articles.
The terrorist insurrection that erupted in neighboring Mali in 2015 has complicated preparations to hand over authority to civilians by next year.
According to data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (Acled), around 6,000 individuals have been murdered in terrorist strikes this year alone.
Since becoming office, Capt Traoré has sought to sever ties with France, the previous colonial power.
He ordered the withdrawal of French military stationed in the country to assist in combating the Islamist insurgency, and he started huge recruiting campaigns to strengthen the security forces.
Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali — three neighboring nations all threatened by jihadist militants and where the army has seized control in the last year – forged a defense alliance earlier this month in an effort to defend one another against any armed uprising or external assault.
