Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba

Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba(French:[pɔlɑ̃ʁisɑ̃daɔɡɔdamiba]; born January1981) is a Burkinabé military officer who served as interim president ofBurkina Fasofrom 31 January 2022 to 30 September 2022, when he was removed in acoup d'étatby his own military colleagueIbrahim Traoré. Damiba had come to power just eight months earlier, on 24 January 2022, when he removed presidentRoch Marc Christian Kaboréina coup.
Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba graduated from theÉcole militaireinParis. During his studies, he met with future Guinean presidentMamady Doumbouya, who was also training there.He holds a master's degree in criminology from theConservatoire national des arts et métiers(CNAM) in Paris and a defense expert certification in management, command and strategy.From 2010 to 2020, he held training exercises in the United States.
Damiba is a lieutenant colonel and commander of the thirdmilitary regioncoveringOuagadougou,Manga,KoudougouandFada N'gourma. He is a former member theRegiment of Presidential Security, the former presidential guard ofBlaise Compaoré.Damiba left the RSP in 2011 after an army mutiny.
In 2019, Damiba testified in the trial of conspirators behind a2015 coupin Burkina Faso that briefly deposed a transitional government, according to reports from the time in Burkinabe media.
Damiba has gained popularity for his actions during theJihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso.He called in the past for the Burkinabé government to recruit mercenaries from the RussianWagner Groupagainst Islamist rebels. The government of Roch Marc Kaboré was strictly opposed to the proposal, on the grounds that doing so would alienate Burkina Faso from the West.
In late 2021, an army of jihadists overran the base of agendarmerieinInata,Soum, killing 49 gendarmes and four civilians. A significant uproar rose in response to the attack, spurred on by revelations about the poor treatment of the gendarmes by the government prior to the raid, forcing numerous government officials to resign or have their ministries shuffled.According to online African-American reference centerBlackPast.org"It later came to light that the gendarmes at Inata had not received food rations for two weeks... [they] were forced to slaughter animals in the vicinity to stay alive."Kaboré appointed Damiba, who by then was deeply moved by the events at Inata,as the head of an "anti-terrorist operations" ministry that would seek security for Eastern Burkina Faso andOuagadougou.
In 2021, Damiba published a book about the fight against Islamists,West African Armies and Terrorism: Uncertain Responses?
Damiba has received training through a number of United States programs. In 2010 and 2020, he participated in the FlintlockJoint Combined Exchange Trainingexercises including raising awareness of human rights and laws of armed conflicts.In 2013, Damiba participated in theU.S. State DepartmentfundedAfrican Contingency Operations Training and Assistancecourse. In 2013 and 2014, Damiba attended the Military Intelligence Basic Officer Course for Africa. In 2018 and 2019, he trained in Burkina Faso with aU.S. Defense DepartmentCivil Military Support Element.
On 24 January 2022, Damiba leda coupdeposing and detaining President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré and Prime MinisterLassina Zerbo.While people were celebrating the coup in Ouagadougou, some supporters carried Russian flags, as a sign of their call to receive help from Russia in their fight against Islamist terrorism.After the announcement, the military declared that theNational Assemblyand theGovernmenthad been dissolved, while theConstitutionhad been suspended.On 31 January, the military junta restored the Constitution and appointed Damiba as the interim president.
With Damiba at its head, thePatriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restorationmilitary junta pledged to improve security and eventually restore civilian rule. However, the military regime failed to defeat the Jihadists; instead, rebels and other non-state actors even expanded their operations and controlled 40% of the country by September 2022. Many military officers grew dissatisfied with Damiba, believing that he did not focus on the rebellion.Jihadist insurgents launched several major attacks in September 2022, causing the interim president to reshuffle his cabinet. On 12 September, Damiba fired his defense minister, GeneralAimé Barthélemy Simporé, and assumed the position himself. He also appointed Colonel-MajorSilas Keitaas minister delegate in charge of national defence.These changes did not satisfy the disgruntled army elements.
On 30 September 2022, Damibawas ousted by the dissatisfied army elementsheaded by CaptainIbrahim Traoré. This came eight months after he had taken power.Sahelexpert andUniversity of Calgaryscholar Abdul Zanya Salifu argued that his inability to defeat the jihadists had led to Damiba's downfall, as his promise to improve security had been the justification for him taking power in the first place.
The whereabouts of Damiba after the coup initially remained unknown. The new junta under the leadership of Traoré later accused Damiba of trying to flee towards the French military base of Camp Kamboinsin in order to mount a counter-coup. Damiba however rejected the charge and Traore later stated that he did not think France was involved. France denied any involvement in the September 2022 coup.
Religious and community leaders announced on 2 October that Damiba had agreed to resign from his position after they mediated between him and Traoré. Damiba demanded seven guarantees in return, including that his allies would be protected, a guarantee for his security and rights, and that the new junta would fulfill the promise he made to theEconomic Community of West African States(ECOWAS) about restoring civilian rule in two years.Traoré agreed to the deal and Damiba went into exile inTogo.Three army officers were arrested in November 2022 for helping him flee from Burkina Faso.
In July 2024, Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba sent a letter to Ibrahim Traoré, President of Burkina Faso, in which he expressed concern about the deterioration of the security situation and possible abuses against civilians.In September, Damiba was accused by Traoré's military junta of organizing (along with military officers, former ministers and others) a plot to overthrow the junta that was foiled.He was also accused of involvement in theAugust Barsalogho massacre, carried out byJama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin.
The January 2022 coup was widely popular in Burkina Faso.Damiba has become known for thered berethe wears during speeches,believed to be an impression of Burkinabé revolutionary and founding fatherThomas Sankara, whose speeches also carried similar rhetoric to Damiba's.Damiba had already gained praiseprior to the coup for his activities fighting jihadists.
When Damiba proved unable to contain the insurgency, public support for him declined sharply. When he was overthrown in September 2022, groups in the capital gathered to express support for those who had deposed him.