2015 Burkina Faso coup attempt

2015 Burkina Faso coup d'état
Soldiers of the RSP patrolling in Ouagadougou during the coup
Date 16 September 2015 – 23 September 2015 Location Burkina Faso Result Coup failed Regiment of Presidential Security dissolved by caretaker cabinet[1]
Belligerents
Regiment of Presidential Security	Government of Burkina Faso
Commanders and leaders
General Gilbert Diendéré[2]	Michel Kafando Yacouba Isaac Zida
Casualties and losses
11 killed in total

Part of a series on the
History of Burkina Faso
Bura Bura-Asinda Prehistoric c. 3rd–13th century Mossi Kingdoms c. 11th century – 1896 Kong Empire c. 1710 – 1898 French Upper Volta 1919–1932 1947–1958 Republic 1958–1984
Burkina Faso (1984–present)
Agacher Strip War 1985 Assassination of Sankara 1987 Compaoré rule 1987–2014 Burkinabè revolution 2014 Transitional period 2014–2015 Jihadist insurgency 2015–present Burkinabé coup d'état 2015 2015 elections and aftermath 2015–2022 January and September coup d'état 2022
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The 2015 Burkina Faso coup d'état attempt was a failed coup d'état launched on 16 September 2015 in Burkina Faso, when members of the Regiment of Presidential Security (RSP) – a controversial autonomous military unit, formed under President Blaise Compaoré – detained the country's government. Among those detained were the transitional President Michel Kafando, Prime Minister Yacouba Isaac Zida (who was also the former deputy commander of the RSP), and numerous members of the cabinet.^[3] This transitional government was formed in the wake of the 2014 Burkinabé uprising, when a popular movement overthrew the long-time president Compaoré, who himself had come to power in a 1987 coup against the left-wing leader Thomas Sankara.^[4] New general elections were planned for 11 October 2015.^[5]

The RSP was successful in seizing control of Ouagadougou and proclaimed the establishment of a new junta, headed by General Gilbert Diendéré, to oversee the transition to new elections. The coup leaders denounced the transitional government's electoral law, which barred supporters of Compaoré from participating in the elections, and promised to allow all prospective candidates to run. However, the junta failed to consolidate its authority across the country, and faced protests as well as intense pressure from regional leaders, and eventually from the regular army, to restore the transitional government. Ultimately, after the regular army entered Ouagadougou to confront the RSP, Kafando was restored as president on 23 September 2015.