Burkina Faso’s military junta says it has foiled a coup attempt

DAKAR (Reuters) – Burkina Faso’s military junta said on Wednesday that security and intelligence services had foiled a coup attempt the previous day, without providing details of what happened.

She said in a statement that officers and others conspired to destabilize the country “with the evil intention of attacking the institutions of the republic and plunging our country into chaos.”

She did not identify anyone, but said that some people had been arrested and searches for others were continuing. She added, “Investigations will help uncover the instigators of this conspiracy.”

The military prosecutor later said that four people had been arrested while two were still on the run. It said in a statement that on Wednesday it opened an investigation based on “credible allegations regarding a conspiracy against state security involving officers.”

The junta on Monday suspended the French news magazine Jeune Afrique for publishing “untruthful” articles that reported on tension and discontent within Burkina Faso’s armed forces.

The next day, thousands of pro-junta demonstrators took to the streets of the capital, Ouagadougou, and elsewhere to show their support, citing rumors of an impending rebellion against the authorities.

The military junta came to power after two military coups last year, partly due to the exacerbation of the insurgency carried out by armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, which destabilized Burkina Faso and its neighbors in the Sahel region of West Africa.

More than 50 soldiers and volunteer fighters from Burkina Faso were killed in clashes with militants in early September, the largest casualties in months.

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