Burkina Faso’s military government says it foiled an assassination plot against Captain Ibrahim Traore, but sceptical analysts warn the junta may be crying wolf again.
Officials claimed the alleged attack, planned for January 3, would have plunged the chronically unstable nation into its third coup in four years.
State television broadcast nightly confessions for days, presenting a dramatic tale of betrayal, intrigue, and shadowy enemies threatening the ruling junta.
Yet critics note that past coup claims produced no trials or convictions, leaving doubts hanging like dust over the capital.
A Burkinabe political analyst said each new scenario sounds less believable, pointing to wildly shifting figures about the plot’s supposed financing.
Last year, pro-junta networks circulated fake videos of global celebrities praising Traore, later exposed as artificial intelligence fabrications.
This time, authorities accused former coup leader Paul-Henri Damiba, now in exile, of masterminding targeted assassinations starting with Traore.
Security officials also alleged neighbouring Ivory Coast financed the scheme, a charge Abidjan has firmly denied.
Several men were paraded before cameras, describing roles ranging from fundraising trips to plans to cripple a drone base near Ouagadougou.
Analysts say repeated plot announcements often revive short-lived support for Traore, but the emotional surge now appears to be fading.
Residents acknowledge the news briefly rallied public sentiment, though without the fervour seen after earlier alleged destabilisation attempts.
With militant violence still raging, observers warn that constant cries of conspiracy risk eroding trust in a country already exhausted by fear.
