Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba (2 January 1981-) was the military head of state of Burkina Faso from 24 January to 30 September 2022, succeeding Roch Marc Christian Kabore and preceding Ibrahim Traore.
Biography[]
Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was born in Ouagadougou, Upper Volta in 1981, and he graduated from the military school in Paris before becoming a lieutenant-commander in the Burkinabe military. He served in the Regiment of Presidential Security under President Blaise Compaore and took part in the 2015 Burkinabe coup d'etat which overthrew Compaore and brought Roch Marc Christian Kabore into power. In 2021, he wrote a book about Burkina Faso's fight against the Islamist insurgency in the Maghreb, and, on 24 January 2022, he led a military coup against President Kabore, blaming him for the country's economic hardships and lack of success in fighting terrorism, while also promising to hold new elections soon. However, his inability to defeat the jihadists resulted in dissatisfied army elements overthrowing him in September 2022 and exiling him to Togo.