Burkina Faso’s ruling junta has granted amnesty to 21 soldiers convicted for their involvement in a failed 2015 coup attempt, according to an official decree obtained on Monday.
Since seizing power in September 2022, the military government, led by Captain Ibrahim Traoré, has sought to consolidate control amid ongoing security challenges. In December 2023, Traoré announced a general amnesty for individuals convicted of attempting to overthrow the transitional government established after the ousting of former President Blaise Compaoré.
The decree states that the 21 soldiers—six officers, including two former unit commanders of the presidential guard, and 15 non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel—have been pardoned for acts committed on September 15 and 16, 2015. The amnesty allows them to rejoin the Burkinabe armed forces, which has been engaged in counterterrorism operations against extremist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and Daesh for over a decade. However, the soldiers will not be eligible for compensation or career progression.
Originally convicted in 2019 by a military tribunal in Ouagadougou, the soldiers faced charges including endangering state security, murder, and treason. The decree specifies that those seeking a pardon must apply by June and demonstrate a “patriotic commitment to the reconquest of the territory” through active participation in counterterrorism efforts.
Despite the pardons, two senior figures believed to be the masterminds behind the coup attempt—former Chief of Staff Gilbert Diendéré and ex-Foreign Minister Djibril Bassolé—remain ineligible. Diendéré was sentenced to 20 years in prison, while Bassolé received a 10-year sentence.
The failed coup was orchestrated by Diendéré and Bassolé against the transitional government that took power following Compaoré’s resignation in October 2014 after 27 years in office. Loyalist forces swiftly suppressed the coup within two weeks, resulting in 14 deaths and 270 injuries.
In December 2023, Burkina Faso’s Justice Ministry announced that approximately 1,200 individuals convicted in connection with the coup attempt would be eligible for pardons beginning in January 2024.
