Togo expels ex-Burkina Faso leader after coup plot claim, sources say
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FILE PHOTO: Burkina Faso President Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba is welcomed by soldiers in Dori, Sahel region as he arrives to motivate his troops, after armed men killed civilians and militaries in Seytenga, at an airport in Dori, Burkina Faso Ju
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 angered the ranks of the armed forces in the West African country, 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 out to Ouagadougou.
Later in the day, Togo confirmed Damiba's extradition, saying in a statement that it came in response to a request received by Burkina Faso on January 12.
The charges against Damiba in Burkina Faso include embezzlement of public funds, illicit enrichment, corruption and money laundering, the Togolese statement said, dated Monday but distributed on Tuesday.
The statement did not mention a coup plot.
Reuters was unable to reach Damiba for comment and it was unclear if he had a lawyer in Togo. The government of Burkina Faso did not respond to a request 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 efforts to destabilise his home country.
West and Central Africa has been rocked by nine military 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 and Mark Heinrich)
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