Burkinabe Civil Society Calls for Extradition of Ex-Transitional President Damiba Over Destabilisation Plot

A Burkinabe civil society organisation has called on the Togolese government to extradite Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba, the former President of Burkina Faso’s Transition, who has been in exile in Lomé since October 2022 after he was ousted.

The Pyramid Movement, in a statement, accused Damiba of attempting to destabilise the current Burkinabe government. The group called on Togo to hand him over to face justice in Burkina Faso.

Given the seriousness of the allegations, Pyramide urges the Togolese authorities to extradite former President Damiba so he can answer these accusations before the courts, with assurances of his right to defence, the statement read.

The movement described the accusations as “extremely grave,” suggesting that, if proven, they could amount to high treason and an imprescriptible crime against Burkina Faso. It also emphasised that Togo should not serve as a haven for efforts to destabilise Burkina Faso or other West African states.

Damiba, who led Burkina Faso’s transitional government before being ousted in September 2022, has been implicated in a purported destabilisation plot allegedly orchestrated by former officials abroad. The accusations surfaced in late September 2024.

Earlier this month, Damiba and several other high-ranking officers, including Evrard Somda, the former head of the gendarmerie, were dismissed from the Burkinabe military. The dismissal was signed by President Captain Ibrahim Traoré, citing “serious misconduct” involving foreign contacts and suspected links with terrorists to harm the state.

Traoré, during an address on national radio, said that his Transitional Government was in talks with Togolese authorities for the extradition of Damiba.

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