On April 21, the junta claimed to have undone a \u2018major plot\u2019 planned by masterminds in neighboring Ivory Coast
\n ABIDJAN
\nSeveral thousand people rallied in support of Burkina Faso\u2019s ruling junta Wednesday, days after the military authorities said they had uncovered a \u201cplot\u201d to overthrow the government.
\nDemonstrators carried giant posters of junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traore and Burkinabe and Russian flags.
\nWith placards bearing slogans such as: \u201cDown with imperialism and its local lackeys\u201d and \u201cFull support for President Ibrahim Traore and the people of Burkina Faso,\u201d they gathered in a central square in the capital Ouagadougou.
\nIt was one of the biggest pro-junta demonstrations since Traore seized power in a September 2022 coup in the west African country, which has been battling jihadist attacks for a decade that have killed tens of thousands of people.
\nOn April 21, the junta claimed to have undone a \u201cmajor plot\u201d planned by masterminds in neighboring Ivory Coast, with the arrests of several top army officials.
\nTraore has regularly accused Ivory Coast of harboring his opponents, allegations its neighbor rejects.
\nOver more than a year, the junta has detained several dozen military officers, including former gendarmerie chief of staff Evrard Somda, accusing them of plotting or of attempting to destabilize republican institutions.
\nAuthorities regularly repress dissent, notably within civil society and the media, claiming it as part of the anti-militant battle.
\nPrime Minister Rimtalba Jean Emmanuel Ouedraogo addressed the rally which was also attended by several ministers and MPs and called by the National Coordination of the Civilian Vigil (CNAVC), a coalition of pro-junta civil society groups.
\n\u201cWe must stand up more than ever because when the people stand up, the imperialists tremble,\u201d the prime minister told the crowd.
\nRallies condemning the \u201chypocrisy\u201d of former colonial powers also took place in Burkina\u2019s second biggest city Bobo Dioulasso and in Boromo.
\n\u201cWe, peoples who love justice and sovereignty, affirm our unwavering solidarity with the heroic struggle of the Burkinabe people for their emancipation,\u201d a CNAVC spokesman said.
\n\u201cThis mobilization is proof that the people are committed to their leaders,\u201d Ghislain Some, CNAVC secretary general, said.
\n\u201cThe people are standing up, mobilized and united behind captain Ibrahim Traore. We will never be able to harm our president or destabilize our country. We are a shield,\u201d Some said.
\nAdama Kima, one of the organizers, said on national television that the rally was also to denounce remarks attributed to US Africa Command chief General Michael Langley accusing Traore of using the country\u2019s gold reserves for personal protection at the expense of the well-being of the people.
\nLike its neighbors Niger and Mali, Burkina Faso under Traore has turned away from its former colonial master France and moved closer to Russia.
\nAll three of those Sahel states have been battling violence by militants linked to Al-Qaeda and the Daesh group for a decade.
\nThe three junta-led countries quit the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at the beginning of the year, accusing the regional bloc of being subservient to France, and have formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), originally set up as a defense pact in 2023 but which now seeks closer integration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On April 21, the junta claimed to have undone a \u2018major plot\u2019 planned by masterminds in neighboring Ivory Coast ABIDJAN Several thousand people rallied in support of Burkina Faso\u2019s ruling junta Wednesday, days after the military authorities said they had uncovered a \u201cplot\u201d to overthrow the government. Demonstrators carried giant posters of junta leader Captain […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":475715,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-475691","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n