The military government claims that the former military head of state, Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, was the individual behind the alleged plot.

According to AFP, Burkina Faso's military government has announced that it had foiled "several attempts to destabilise the country" led by a former high-ranking army official who previously seized power in the West African nation.

"We were able to foil several attempts at destabilisation," said Security Minister Mahamadou Sana in a statement that was read out on state television late on Monday.

He stated that Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who was ousted from power in 2022, had led the "military part of this plot." Damiba has not made any public comments regarding the allegations.

Several individuals have been arrested in connection with the plot, including Ahmed Kinda, a former commander of the country’s special forces, Sana added.

Damiba had originally seized power in a coup in January 2022, overthrowing the elected president, Roch Marc Christian Kabore.

However, little more than eight months later, Damiba himself was overthrown by a 34-year-old captain, Ibrahim Traore, who is currently in power.

Under the leadership of Ibrahim Traore's military government, Burkina Faso has been facing an armed insurgency, with violent activities carried out by the ISGS, a Daesh-affiliated terror group in the Greater Sahara, and the al Qaeda-associated JNIM, both of which infiltrated the country from neighboring Mali in 2016.

The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project reported that more than 26,000 people, including soldiers, militia members, and civilians, have lost their lives in Burkina Faso since the insurgency began in 2016.