Togo has extradited Burkina Faso’s former president, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, to Ouagadougou after authorities there accused him of plotting to assassinate current leader Ibrahim Traoré. Once a coup leader himself, Damiba ruled briefly in 2022 before being overthrown and fleeing into exile, where the junta says he continued to orchestrate destabilization efforts. Beyond the alleged murder plot, prosecutors have filed a sweeping list of charges, including corruption, illicit enrichment, and money laundering. Togo says Burkina Faso has pledged fair-trial guarantees and no death penalty, even though Ouagadougou recently reinstated capital punishment. Damiba’s return is likely to heighten tensions within Burkina Faso’s military, testing the stability of a regime already struggling with a severe jihadist insurgency.
BBC
