Burkinabé coup attempt foiled

The Socialist Bulletin Staff - 7/1/2026

A plot by former Interim President, Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, to wrest control over the country from current Interim President Ibrahim Traoré and his Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (PMSR), has been foiled overnight.

The Traoré government has overseen a major change in Burkina Faso's foreign policy, with his government asserting the independence of the nation from its former colonial master, France, as well as from the African Union. His administration has downgraded the status of the French language, with the language now classed as simply one of many 'working languages'.

These reforms, as well as Traoré's support for the historical policies of Thomas Sankara, has encouraged opposition among the West, with several western-backed coup attempts being thwarted since Traoré's rise to power in 2022.

The Burkinabé Security Minister, Mahamadou Sana, told national television RTB that the coup attempt failed as a result of 'the professionalism of the intelligence services.', and he alleged that the plan, as far as the Burkinabé government understands at this time, would have included the assassination of several military and civilian leaders, and would have seen Damiba return to office. 

Sana stated that following these assassinations, a ground intervention by 'external forces' would follow.

Investigations and arrests in Burkina Faso are ongoing, and the Security Minister has stated that the situation is now under control.