Togo has extradited Burkina Faso’s former junta leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, responding to a formal request from the current military government. Authorities said Damiba was transferred after a ruling by Lomé’s Court of Appeal, ending months of quiet diplomatic and legal manoeuvring.
Damiba had lived in Togo since his ouster in 2022, a fallen general in exile as political storms continued at home. He is wanted in Burkina Faso on suspicion of embezzling public funds, inciting crimes, and facing other serious criminal allegations.
Togo’s Ministry of Justice said the decision followed assurances from Burkinabè authorities that Damiba would not face the death penalty. Damiba was arrested on January 16, days after the junta claimed it had foiled a coup allegedly linked to him.
He ruled Burkina Faso from January to September 2022 before being deposed by current leader Ibrahim Traoré during another military takeover. The extradition unfolds against a backdrop of repeated coups across West Africa, driven by deepening insecurity and spreading militant violence. Burkina Faso remains one of three junta-led states to have withdrawn from ECOWAS, reshaping regional alliances amid Sahelian unrest.