A coup d'état took place in Burkina Faso on 30 September 2022, removing Interim President Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba over his alleged inability to deal with the country's Islamist insurgency.

A group of army officers overthrew President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, installing the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration, a military junta, with Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba as its head.

The exact unit is disputed; Jeune Afrique stated that he led an artillery regiment,[5] but other sources have claimed that he commanded the "Cobra" special forces based in Kaya.

[6][7] In addition to the military government's poor performance against the rebels, the "Cobra" troops were also upset over delays of their pay and the fact that their former chief commander, Emmanuel Zoungrana–who had been imprisoned under Kaboré's government–had not been freed by Damiba.

[7] On 26 September, a supply convoy to the besieged northern town of Djibo was ambushed by rebels, leading to the death of eleven Burkinabe soldiers and the kidnapping of 50 civilians.

[10] In recent years, there had also been a growing discontent with France, the main ally of the Sahel countries in the battle against jihadists in the region, including in Burkina Faso.

[10] The coup began early in the morning when heavy gunfire and explosions were heard in several parts of the capital Ouagadougou, including in the Ouaga 2000 neighbourhood that houses both the presidential and military junta headquarters.

[4] In the evening, Captain Traoré announced that he and a group of officers had decided to remove Interim President Damiba due to his inability to deal with a worsening Islamist insurgency in the country.

The new junta under the leadership of Traoré later accused Damiba of trying to flee towards the French military base of Camp Kamboinsin in order to mount a counter-coup.

[20][21] In January 2023, the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration military junta told French forces to withdraw from Burkina Faso within a month.

[6] Moussa Faki Mahamat, the chairperson of the African Union Commission, condemned the coup as "unconstitutional" and suspended Burkina Faso from the organization.

In his statement, he credited Damiba for freeing Burkina Faso from what he described as the yoke of the colonialists, though also stated that he "did not justify the confidence of the young officers" and that they "did what was necessary and they did it for the benefit of their people".