Burkina Faso: Ousted leader extradited by Togo

The former transitional president of Burkina Faso, Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, has been extradited by neighbouring Togo to his home country, as reported by Africa News and agencies on January 20th.

He is accused of plotting a string of coups and assassination attempts against Burkina Faso’s military junta government, which seized power in September 2022 following two coups in the same year, the latter of which deposed Damiba after eight months as leader.

It was reported on January 19th that Damiba was arrested and detained at his villa in Togo’s capital city, Lomé, on January 16th; he had been living in exile there since being ousted in 2022 by the current-junta leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.

On January 17th, Damiba was escorted by soldiers to the airport following a hearing at the Court of Appeals, where a judge ruled on his case and granted his extradition to Burkina Faso.

According to a statement from the Togolese Justice Minister, Damiba was handed over to authorities in Burkina Faso. He is being prosecuted for a range of offences, including embezzlement of public funds, corruption and incitement to commit offences.

Reportedly, Burkinabe authorities thwarted a coup attempt against Traoré on January 3rd, which allegedly aimed to destabilise the country by attacking Traoré and other military leaders.

The junta has alleged that multiple attempts to overthrow it have been made, which it uses as justification to crack down on perceived opposition voices.

Silencing dissent also allows the junta to further consolidate its power, including its failure to fulfil its obligation under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to hold elections within two years of seizing control.

By failing to hold elections within this timeframe, military rule has continued; Traoré has suppressed criticism of the junta under the guise of countering national security concerns linked to the regional threat from Islamist insurgent groups.

Also under the guise of countering armed jihadist insurgents, the Burkinabe junta has been accused of carrying out mass killings of civilians, with the killings allegedly being conducted by a mix of special forces and pro-government militias.

Upon seizing power in September 2022, Traoré vowed to restore stability amid the growing threat posed by Islamist insurgent groups in Burkina Faso and across the Sahel; however, his government has failed to contain this threat.

Africa News and agencies, Maghrebi.org