Togo expels ex-Burkina Faso leader after coup plot claim, sources say

LOME, Jan 20 (Reuters) – Togo has arrested and expelled Burkina Faso’s former president to his home country after officials there accused him of attempting a coup, two sources told Reuters on Tuesday.

Paul-Henri 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’s failure to stop the militant groups led to anger in the ranks of the armed forces in the former French protectorate, and he 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 allegedly orchestrated by Damiba, who had sought refuge in the Togolese capital Lome.

A security source and a source close to Togo’s presidency told Reuters on Tuesday that Damiba had been arrested on Saturday and flown to Ouagadougou.

Reuters was unable to reach Damiba for comment and it was unclear if he had a lawyer in Togo.

The governments of Togo and Burkina Faso did not respond to requests for comment.

The source close to Togo’s presidency did not link Damiba directly to any specific coup plot in Burkina Faso but said he had been previously warned about involvement in destabilization efforts in his home country.

West and Central Africa has been rocked by nine coups since 2020.

Traore has announced several coup attempts since he took power.

(Reporting by Noel Kokou Tadegnon; Writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet, Editing by William Maclean)