So, here’s what happened. It was Friday, November 8, 2024. In Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s bustling capital, a high-stakes exchange was going down. An individual, let’s call him “the conspirator” for now, was arrested after being caught red-handed, handing over a whopping five billion CFA francs in cash. And who was on the receiving end? Soldiers who were supposedly on board with his plan. Only, they were actually playing him, pretending to go along with his coup plot to bring down the government.
But just how much money is five billion CFA francs, you might ask? Well, that’s around $8 million US dollars, all in cash. It’s an unbelievable amount for an operation like this and clearly shows the serious financial backing behind this plan.
Let’s go over the details that have emerged. This conspirator was allegedly orchestrating a full-blown destabilization maneuver in Burkina Faso. His plan? To pay off soldiers to initiate a military coup and overthrow the current government.
What’s surprising is how close he got. The soldiers pretended to agree to his plan, but in reality, they had already coordinated with Burkina Faso’s intelligence services. It was a classic setup, a sting operation, that exposed this plot before it could launch.
