Burkina Faso authorities have announced that they have foiled a fresh assassination plot targeting the country’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré. The security services intercepted the alleged operation in its final stages, and high-ranking officials have publicly disclosed details of the thwarted plan.
The announcement came on Tuesday, January 7, 2026, when Security Minister Mahamadou Sana said Burkina Faso’s intelligence agencies uncovered a plot to kill Capt. Traoré and to carry out coordinated attacks on other strategic targets, including key civilian institutions. According to the minister, the plan was orchestrated by Lieutenant Colonel Paul Henri Damiba, the former military leader of Burkina Faso, who was ousted by Traoré in September 2022 following a coup within the military ranks.
Minister Sana disclosed that the intelligence agencies intercepted the operation before it could be carried out and that the plotters intended to assassinate Traoré either by close-range attack or by planting explosives at his residence late on the night of January 3. The operation was also said to include subsequent strikes on other senior military and civilian figures and the targeting of government installations. 
In his televised address to the nation, the Security Minister further alleged that the plan was financed from neighbouring Ivory Coast, although neither Damiba nor Ivorian authorities have issued any public response or denial to the accusations. Sana also claimed that a leaked video was among the evidence that security forces recovered, showing discussions among the conspirators about how to execute their plans. 
Sana said authorities were continuing investigations and that several arrests had already been made, with more expected as the inquiry progresses. He stressed that those involved in the plot would be brought to justice and urged the public to remain calm, insisting that the overall security situation in the country was under control.
Burkina Faso has, in recent years, endured multiple coup attempts and alleged plots, persistent jihadist violence, and deepening humanitarian challenges that have displaced millions of citizens. The Sahel state has been battling Islamist insurgencies for nearly a decade, further complicating internal security dynamics.
Captain Traoré, 37, a former military officer, rose to prominence with a nationalist and pan-Africanist agenda, and his leadership has drawn both domestic support and substantial criticism. While some segments of the population view him as a strong figure capable of confronting security challenges and foreign influence, others and international observers have expressed concerns about an increasing authoritarian drift, including reports of restrictions on political freedoms and reprisals against dissent. 
Since seizing power in September 2022, Traoré has faced at least two major coup attempts and several alleged plots, underscoring the deep fractures within Burkina Faso’s armed forces and political elite. The accusation that former leader Damiba might be involved indicates that the rivalries among factions of the military remain enduring. Damiba himself came to power in January 2022 by leading a coup that ousted an elected government, only to be deposed by Traoré later that same year.
Authorities have pledged to pursue all leads and ensure accountability as investigations continue.
Samuel Aina