BURKINA FASO · TERRORISM CASE
Burkina Faso’s prosecutor general said on Friday 13 November 2026 that some 45 individuals and legal entities face terrorism-linked cases, most of them living abroad. Requests for extradition (the formal handover of a suspect) and legal help have gone to several countries, including the United States, Côte d’Ivoire and France.
Key Facts
- The case Some 45 individuals and legal entities face terrorism-linked cases or charges of insulting state authority.
- Warrants International warrants and extradition requests target people abroad, among them Djibril Bassolé, a former government minister.
- Requests Sent to several countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, the United States and France.
- Makosso Reports differ on whether Ivorian activist Camille Makosso faces an arrest warrant or an investigation.
- Status The allegations are unproven, and no new arrest was announced at the briefing.
What Happened
Désiré Sawadogo, the prosecutor general at the Ouagadougou Court of Appeal, held a press briefing on Friday 13 November 2026 with the anti-terrorism unit, a specialised judicial unit at the Ouagadougou II court. He said some 45 individuals and legal entities are being pursued in cases the unit has opened.
The charges include complicity in a terrorist criminal association, apology for terrorism (publicly defending it) and financing of terrorism. They also include spreading terrorist images, complicity in illegal possession of firearms for terrorist purposes, defamation, undermining army morale and insulting public officials.
Most of those named live abroad, so Burkina Faso sent warrants, extradition requests and legal-assistance requests to several countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, the United States and France. Extradition is the formal handover of a suspect from one state to another.
Djibril Bassolé, a former government minister, is among those facing warrants and extradition requests. Another group is under open judicial investigation, among them Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, a former transitional president, and the French television channel France 24.
Where Camille Makosso Stands
Camille Makosso, an Ivorian activist active on social media, appears among people under open judicial investigation in detailed lists of the briefing, as does Aminata Rachow. The prosecutor said he expects the countries where non-Burkinabè suspects live, Makosso among them, to open proceedings.
Other reports describe an international arrest warrant against him for terrorism. We could not confirm either version, so both are reported, not confirmed.
Why It Matters
The mechanism is the extradition request, which each receiving government can grant or refuse, so Burkina Faso’s prosecutors cannot act abroad alone. The number to hold on to is 45, and most of the people named live outside the country, which makes cooperation from other states the deciding factor.
Washington is among the capitals asked, which makes the case a test of how the United States treats a request from a military-led government. Burkina Faso is led by Ibrahim Traoré, an army captain when he took power in a September 2022 coup, and has fought jihadist insurgents, armed Islamist militants, for years.
Terms in Plain English
An international arrest warrant is an order that Burkina Faso asks other states to help enforce, and it does not by itself let a foreign police force detain anyone. Mutual legal assistance is a formal request for help with evidence or investigation across borders.
Burkina Faso also asked the United States to act against Facebook pages it accuses of promoting terrorism. Facebook is run by the US company Meta.
What To Watch Next
No dated checkpoint has been announced, and the next signals are any replies from the governments of Côte d’Ivoire, the United States and France. Our Côte d’Ivoire page follows the Ivorian side, and a recent ministers’ meeting of the Sahel states gives regional context.
What Is Not Known
It is not known whether an arrest warrant exists for Makosso, what evidence supports any charge, or where he and the other named people live. We have not found a public reply from Makosso or Rachow, and reports differ on how many people hold warrants.
It is not known whether any of the countries asked will act on the requests, and no new arrest was announced at the briefing. Under the presumption of innocence, everyone named is innocent unless a court finds otherwise.
What It Means for You
For readers in the United States, the story is about how far a request from a military-led Sahel government travels through US courts and agencies. It is context, not advice.
The case also shows how social media posts can now sit inside a terrorism file in the Sahel, the arid belt south of the Sahara. Our report on returnees from Guinea covers another current story from Burkina Faso.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Camille Makosso?
Camille Makosso is an Ivorian activist active on social media. Public accounts describe him in different ways, and we use no label beyond that.
Does Burkina Faso have an arrest warrant out for Makosso?
Reports differ. Detailed lists of the briefing place him under open judicial investigation, while other reports describe an international warrant for terrorism, and we could not confirm either.
Who else was named at the briefing?
Those named include Djibril Bassolé, a former government minister, and Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, a former transitional president. The French television channel France 24 is also named in an investigation.
Can Burkina Faso force other countries to hand people over?
No, because each government decides on an extradition request itself. We do not know how any of the countries asked will reply.
Sources: Press briefing of the prosecutor general at the Ouagadougou Court of Appeal and the anti-terrorism unit, 13 November 2026, and the lists of those named published in Burkina Faso’s national press the same day.
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