Togo has arrested and expelled Burkina Faso’s former president, Paul-Henri Damiba, returning him to his home country following allegations that he was involved in an attempted coup, according to two sources cited by Reuters on Tuesday.
Damiba seized power in Burkina Faso in 2022 after overthrowing the civilian government, which had faced growing criticism over its handling of violence by Islamist militants. He was later removed in another coup the same year by Ibrahim Traoré, who remains the country’s military leader, after failing to curb the insurgency.
Earlier this month, authorities in Burkina Faso announced that they had foiled a plot to assassinate Traoré, alleging that the plan was orchestrated by Damiba, who had been living in exile in Lomé, the Togolese capital.
A security source and an official close to Togo’s presidency told Reuters that Damiba was arrested on Saturday and flown to Ouagadougou. Togo later confirmed the extradition in an official statement, saying it acted on a request from Burkina Faso dated January 12.
According to the statement, Damiba faces charges in Burkina Faso including embezzlement of public funds, illicit enrichment, corruption and money laundering. The statement, dated Monday and released on Tuesday, did not reference the alleged coup plot.
Reuters said it was unable to reach Damiba for comment, and it remained unclear whether he had legal representation in Togo. The Burkinabe government did not respond to a request for comment.
A source close to Togo’s presidency said Damiba had previously been warned about involvement in efforts to destabilise Burkina Faso but did not directly link him to a specific coup attempt.
West and Central Africa have experienced at least nine military coups since 2020, with Traoré announcing multiple alleged coup plots since taking power.
