Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba

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Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba
Le lieutenant-colonel Paul Henri Sandaogo Damiba, Ouagadougou le 27 janvier 2022 (cropped).jpg
Damiba in 2022
President of Burkina Faso
Assumed office
31 January 2022
Preceded byRoch Marc Christian Kaboré
President of the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration
Assumed office
24 January 2022
Deputy
Personal details
BornJanuary 1981 (1981-01) (age 41)
Ouagadougou, Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso)
NationalityBurkinabé
Alma materÉcole militaire
Conservatoire national des arts et métiers
Military service
Allegiance Burkina Faso
Branch/serviceArmy of Burkina Faso
Years of service2003–present
RankLieutenant colonel
UnitInsigne RSP.svg Regiment of Presidential Security
(until 2011)
Military career
Battles/warsJihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso
2022 Burkinabé coup d'état

Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba (French: [pɔl ɑ̃ʁi sɑ̃daɔɡɔ damiba]; born January 1981[1]) is a Burkinabé military officer who heads the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration (MPSR), having overthrown President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré on 24 January 2022 in the 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état.[2] On 31 January, the military junta restored the constitution and appointed Damiba as interim president.[3]

Early life and education[]

Paul-Henri Sandogo Damiba graduated from the École militaire in Paris. During his studies he met with future Guinean president Mamady Doumbouya, who was also training there.[4] He holds a master's degree in criminology from the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (CNAM) in Paris and a defense expert certification in management, command and strategy.[5] From 2010 to 2020, he held training exercises in the United States.[1]

Military career[]

Damiba is a lieutenant colonel and commander of the third military region covering Ouagadougou, Manga, Koudougou and Fada N'gourma. He is a former member the Regiment of Presidential Security, the former presidential guard of Blaise Compaoré.[6][7] Damiba left the RSP in 2011 after an army mutiny.[8]

In 2019, Damiba testified in the trial of conspirators behind a 2015 coup in Burkina Faso that briefly deposed a transitional government, according to reports from the time in Burkinabe media.[2]

Damiba has gained popularity for his actions during the Jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso.[9] He called in the past for the Burkinabé government to recruit mercenaries from the Russian Wagner Group against 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.[4]

In 2021, Damiba published a book about the fight against Islamists, West African Armies and Terrorism: Uncertain Responses?[10]

Damiba has received training through a number of United States programs. In 2010 and 2020, he participated in the Flintlock Joint Combined Exchange Training exercises including raising awareness of human rights and laws of armed conflicts.[11] In 2013, Damiba participated in the U.S. State Department funded African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance course. In 2013 and 2014, Damiba attended the Military Intelligence Basic Officer Course for Africa. In 2018 and 2019, he trained in Burkina Faso with a U.S. Defense Department Civil Military Support Element.[12]

2022 coup d'état[]

Main article: 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état

On 24 January 2022, Damiba led the 2022 Burkina Faso coup d'état deposing and detaining President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré and Prime Minister Lassina Zerbo.[13] 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.[14] After the announcement, the military declared that the parliament, government and constitution had been dissolved.[15] On 31 January, the military junta restored the constitution and appointed Damiba as the interim president.[16]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Who is Burkina Faso coup leader Lt-Col Damiba?". BBC News. 26 January 2022. Archived from the original on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Fresh from promotion, Burkina Faso writer-colonel leads a coup". Reuters. 24 January 2022. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Burkina Faso restores constitution, names coup leader president". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b Jr, Philip Obaji (25 January 2022). "African President Was Ousted Just Weeks After Refusing to Pay Russian Paramilitaries". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  5. ^ "Who is Paul-Henri Damiba, leader of the Burkina Faso coup?". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  6. ^ Ogbohou, Didier (24 January 2022). "Biographie: Qui est réellement Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba". Africanolimit (in French). Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Coup d'Etat au Burkina : qui est Paul Henri Damiba" (in French). 24 January 2022. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Qui est le nouvel homme fort ?". L'Observateur Paalga (in French). Archived from the original on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  9. ^ "Burkina Faso coup: Why soldiers have overthrown President Kaboré". BBC News. 25 January 2022. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Burkina Faso coup: Why soldiers have overthrown President Kaboré". BBC News. 25 January 2022. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Who is Burkina Faso coup leader Lt-Col Damiba?". BBC. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  12. ^ Turse, Nick (26 January 2022). "Another U.S.-Trained Soldier Stages a Coup in West Africa". The Intercept. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  13. ^ "Burkina Faso army says it has deposed President Kabore". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  14. ^ "Who is Burkina Faso coup leader Lt-Col Damiba?". BBC. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  15. ^ "Burkina Faso military says it has seized power". BBC News. 24 January 2022. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  16. ^ "Burkina Faso restores constitution, names coup leader president". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
Political offices
Preceded byas President of Burkina Faso President of the Patriotic Movement for Safeguard and Restoration of Burkina Faso
2022–present 		Incumbent
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