Almost a year to the day since Captain Ibrahim Traoré seized power, is Burkina Faso on the brink of a third coup in less than two years? That's what Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, spokesperson for the transitional government, said on Wednesday, September 27, announcing that a "proven coup attempt" had been foiled the day before.

"The actors of this disastrous destabilization project had the dark intention of attacking the institutions of the Republic and plunging our country into chaos." the minister stressed. The prosecutor of the Ouagadougou military court subsequently announced that he had opened an investigation and arrested four officers. They are Lieutenant-Colonel Cheick Hamza Ouattara, commander of the gendarmerie's special legion; Captain Christophe Maiga, second-in-command of the gendarmerie's special intervention unit; Abdoul Aziz Aouoba, commander of the special forces; and Boubacar Keita, director general of the Institut Supérieur d'Etudes de Protection Civile ("Higher Institute of Civil Protection Studies").

Against this backdrop, the transitional president was quick to reassure the population on Wednesday. "Together, we are committed to the liberation of our country. I assure you of my determination to bring the transition to a successful conclusion," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter), before thanking "all Burkinabés who are constantly keeping a watchful eye on the situation, a guarantee of collective success."

Although his power is contested within the army, the 35-year-old captain is nurturing his popularity among young people. On Tuesday night, as rumors of an attempted putsch gained momentum in Ouagadougou, thousands of young people took to the streets to show their support for "Ibé," as they call him, and to stand firm "despite adversity and the various maneuvers to stop our inexorable march toward assumed sovereignty," as Captain Traoré also wrote on X. Rallies in support of his government are also planned for Friday.

On September 21 and 25, the government issued press releases describing information published by the magazine Jeune Afrique – that there is "growing discontent in the barracks" – as "untrue" and "grotesque manipulation." The magazine also reported "gunfire heard" in a military camp in the capital. Subsequently confirmed to Le Monde, this reporting led to the junta suspending Jeune Afrique.

Back at the beginning of September, the military prosecutor's office announced that three soldiers had been arrested and charged with "military conspiracy." "We are witnessing a purge within the army. 'Ibé' is on his guard because he knows that the same conditions that led him to carry out a putsch are starting to be met. Despite his promise to restore territorial integrity, the terrorist attacks continue," said a local security source.

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