Former Burkina Faso leader deported home to face murder plot charges

TOGO—Togo extradited former Burkina Faso leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba back to his home country on Saturday after authorities in Ouagadougou accused him of plotting to assassinate his successor.

The Togo Ministry of Justice confirmed the handover, which returns the former coup leader to face a series of criminal allegations. Damiba originally seized power in a January 2022 coup but was ousted just eight months later by current military ruler Ibrahim Traoré.

Burkina Faso’s military government identifies Damiba as the mastermind behind a failed attempt to kill Traoré. In addition to the assassination plot, he faces charges of embezzling public funds, corruption, money laundering, and illegal enrichment.

Togolese officials said they secured several guarantees from Burkina Faso in exchange for their cooperation. The military government in Ouagadougou reportedly promised to ensure Damiba’s safety, dignity, and right to a fair trial, while explicitly pledging not to apply the death penalty.

Damiba’s return in custody is expected to heighten political instability in a nation already fractured by internal divisions. Burkina Faso continues to struggle with a violent, years-long insurgency by jihadist militants that has displaced millions.

The extradition of Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba marks a calculated consolidation of power by Captain Ibrahim Traoré’s military government, signaling a decisive move to neutralize a primary political rival. Beyond the immediate removal of a predecessor, the move serves as a high-stakes warning to potential dissenters within the Burkinabe armed forces.

While Ouagadougou secured the transfer by offering Togo diplomatic assurances of a fair trial and the exclusion of capital punishment, the junta’s credibility remains under intense scrutiny. The recent reinstatement of the death penalty for high treason creates a glaring legal paradox, suggesting that the promises made to regional mediators may be subordinate to the domestic political theater Traoré seeks to stage.

This development underscores the "coup-on-coup" cycle that has come to define the Sahel’s political landscape. The pattern of military leaders ousting predecessors who themselves seized power by force continues to hollow out the prospects for democratic governance. This chronic instability does more than erode institutional norms; it actively undermines the regional security apparatus at a time when the jihadist insurgency remains an existential threat.

Traoré’s nationalist and anti-French rhetoric reflects a broader ideological pivot across West Africa, where military regimes are increasingly decoupling from traditional Western alliances. By bringing Damiba to face justice, Traoré is attempting to solidify his image as a populist strongman. However, the impending trial will serve as a litmus test for the junta’s legitimacy and its ability to maintain internal cohesion while simultaneously fighting a violent insurgency on its frontiers.