Burkina Faso Dismisses Ex-President Damiba and 14 Officers for Conspiracy Against State Security

Burkina Faso’s former transitional president, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Damiba, who led the country from January to September 2022, along with 14 other military officers, has been dismissed from the armed forces.

The decision, made official through decrees signed by the current transitional president, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, was announced publicly on Monday evening.

The dismissed officers were removed for “misconduct deemed particularly serious,” including actions deemed “harmful to military dignity and reputation.” The charges, outlined in a decree dated October 30, 2024, accuse them of engaging in “intelligence activities with foreign powers and terrorists” aimed at advancing interests hostile to Burkina Faso.

Among those dismissed are Lieutenant Colonel Évrard Somda, former Chief of Staff of the National Gendarmerie; Colonel Bamouni Didier, former Commander of National Theatre Operations (COTN); and Magistrate Commander Pousbila Zorma, former military prosecutor of the Ouagadougou Military Tribunal. Many of the officers are reportedly already detained on charges of “conspiracy against state security.”

This action follows a statement by President Traoré on October 5, in which he confirmed that his government was in talks with Togolese authorities regarding the extradition of Damiba. Traoré accused Damiba of attempting to destabilize his government, including involvement in orchestrating the August 24, 2024, attack on Barsalhogo, which resulted in multiple fatalities.

In a televised speech on Monday, Traoré reflected on the challenges facing his administration, stating, “Making a revolution means facing many challenges… and the pressure has mounted on the battlefield during October.”

Traoré assumed power on September 30, 2022, following a coup that ousted Damiba, who had himself taken power in January 2022 after overthrowing President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.