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Burkina Faso’s former transitional president, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, has been arrested in neighbouring Togo and expelled, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Damiba was detained last week in Lomé and questioned over allegations of attempted destabilisation in Burkina Faso before being taken to the airport and put on a flight, one of his associates said.
A regional security source and a Togolese source close to the case separately confirmed the arrest and expulsion to AFP. His destination was not immediately known.
Ouagadougou has not released an official statement.
Damiba, a former Lieutenant-Colonel, seized power in January 2022 after overthrowing President Roch Marc Christian Kabore. He was himself removed from office eight months later in a coup that installed Ibrahim Traore as head of the military-led government.
Since fleeing to Togo after his ouster, Damiba has repeatedly been accused by Burkina Faso’s ruling military authorities of orchestrating coup attempts and assassination plots aimed at destabilising the current leadership.
Earlier this month, the government in Ouagadougou said it had thwarted a plan to assassinate Traore, allegedly scheduled for January 3. Officials said the attempt, if successful, would have marked Burkina Faso’s third coup in four years.
State television spent the next four days airing nightly “confessions” by suspected plotters, many of whom claimed they were acting under Damiba’s orders.
Burkina Faso’s security minister later alleged that Damiba and his associates had planned a series of “targeted assassinations” against both civilian and military officials, “starting with the neutralisation of comrade Ibrahim Traore”.
Burkina Faso has experienced repeated political upheaval since 2022, because of growing insecurity linked to insurgent violence and tensions within the armed forces.
