Burkina Faso’s intelligence services have recently uncovered a plot of unprecedented scale involving national army officers linked to terrorist groups. According to revealed information, the aim of the operation was to plunge the country into chaos and place it under international supervision.
It all began with the interception of suspicious communications between an individual and terrorist leaders. After thorough technical analysis, the man was formally identified as Lieutenant Baharé Abdrahman, a member of the military justice battalion who had been absent without leave for several weeks. Investigations soon revealed that he was already subject to desertion proceedings.
Analysis of his communications brought to light a network of individuals tied to the subversive plan: Officer Compaoré Joanni, former non-commissioned officer Zerbo Laoko, Commander Wedrago Frédéric of the Integrated Operations Center, and Caboré Constantin, a former military trainee now in exile in Abidjan. All are suspected of participating in efforts to destabilize the state.
According to intelligence sources, the conspirators’ plan aimed at a systematic disruption of the defense and security forces. Sensitive information regarding troop positions and military operations was allegedly shared with terrorist groups to intensify attacks. The ultimate goal: provoke public revolt against the authorities.
Alongside the military sabotage campaign, the plot also included disinformation strategies: spreading false messages to sow panic among security forces, creating so-called blacklists to intimidate officers, and mobilizing religious and traditional leaders to rally officers to their cause.
Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland (VDP) were also targeted, with the intent of undermining morale. Financial support is said to have been transferred to facilitate these subversive efforts. Whistleblowing from patriotic soldiers helped thwart the operation, which was scheduled for Wednesday, April 16, 2025. That date was to mark a series of coordinated terrorist attacks, culminating in an assault on the presidential palace.
Thanks to alerts received on the eve of the attack, intelligence services were able to carry out several arrests in the capital, while some masterminds of the attempted coup fled to Côte d’Ivoire. The deserter lieutenant, Baharé Abdrahman, has been identified as one of the coordinators of the operation from Abidjan.
Authorities say the plot has not been fully dismantled, and that its instigators continue to operate from abroad, with the intention of throwing Burkina Faso into turmoil before June. Heightened surveillance remains in effect, and further arrests are expected in the coming weeks.