Togo has arrested and expelled Paul-Henri Damiba, Burkina Faso’s former leader to his home country.
Damiba was reportedly arrested on Saturday and flown out to
Ouagadougou, the country’s capital.
The development comes two weeks after officials in Burkina
Faso accused him of attempting a coup.
Damiba came to power in 2022 after a coup against Burkina
Faso’s civilian government, which had lost support over rising violence by
Islamist militants.
Damiba was ousted in a coup later that same year by Ibrahim
Traore, who continues to head the military-led government.
Earlier this month, Burkina Faso announced it had disrupted
a plot to kill Traore orchestrated by Damiba who had sought refuge in Lome,
Togo’s capital.
Meanwhile, Togo confirmed Damiba’s extradition in a
statement, saying he was arrested in Lome on January 16, “in execution of an
arrest warrant accompanied by an extradition request” sent four days earlier by
Burkinabe authorities.
The statement, signed by Pacome Adjourouvi, Togolese justice
minister, said he was “handed over to the authorities” in Ouagadougou the day
after his arrest.
It added that Damiba is being prosecuted for “criminal
embezzlement of public funds, criminal illicit enrichment, corruption,
incitement to commit offences and crimes, aggravated concealment and money
laundering”.
The minister said the extradition was approved because
Burkina Faso provided “guarantees” regarding Damiba’s physical integrity and
his right to a fair trial.
The statement, however, did not mention a coup plot.
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