By Mevlut Ozkan
ISTANBUL (AA) - Togo extradited Burkina Faso's former coup leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba to Ouagadougou on Saturday, where he faces several criminal charges, including embezzlement, corruption, and incitement to crimes, the Togolese government said on Tuesday.
Following a formal extradition request from Burkina Faso, Damiba was arrested in Lome on Friday and held in custody pending a court review that would determine whether he could be handed over, Lome said in a statement posted on US social media company X.
A Lome appeals court later approved the extradition, citing assurances from Burkina Faso that Damiba’s rights would be respected and that he would not face the death penalty.
The extradition came after the Burkinabe government said on Jan. 6 that it had foiled an alleged coup plot targeting President Capt. Ibrahim Traore, which authorities accused Damiba, the former transitional president, of orchestrating while recruiting both soldiers and civilians to carry out attacks.
Amid worsening security, Traore seized power on Sept. 30, 2022, ousting Damiba, who had overthrown President Roch Marc Christian Kabore just eight months before.