Overview

• Burkina Faso's military government announced it thwarted a coup attempt aimed at overthrowing the presidency on April 16, 2025.
• Authorities named former army officers Major Joanny Compaore and Lieutenant Abdramane Barry, allegedly based in Ivory Coast, as key masterminds of the plot.
• A dozen military personnel, including two officers, were arrested in connection with the alleged conspiracy to destabilize the government.
• The junta under Captain Ibrahim Traore has intensified crackdowns on perceived opponents since seizing power in 2022, with accusations of extrajudicial arrests and repression.
• Burkina Faso continues to face severe challenges from jihadist violence, which has displaced over two million people and left large areas outside government control.