Nearly a decade after participating in an attempted coup in the West African nation of Burkina Faso, a former member of the country’s elite presidential guard has been deported from the United States, The Daily Wire has reported.
Zakaria Songotoua, 40, was removed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on April 22 and sent back to Burkina Faso after an immigration judge found him “ineligible” for immigration status.
Songotoua had fled Burkina Faso following his involvement in the failed 2015 coup attempt while serving in the Presidential Security Regiment, commonly known as the RSP.
The coup began on Sept. 16, 2015, when members of the RSP stormed the presidential palace and took interim President Michel Kafando, Prime Minister Lt. Col. Isaac Zida, and several cabinet members hostage, according to The New York Times.
During the unrest, members of the force opened fire on protesters. The violence left an estimated 11 people dead and more than 100 injured. The coup attempt collapsed after 13 days of chaos and fighting.
Songotoua later fled Burkina Faso before standing trial. He was convicted in absentia of murder, assault and battery, and attacking state security, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
ICE did not disclose when or where Songotoua entered the United States.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations New York City Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo said “individuals” like Songotoua “who engage in such bloodshed anywhere in the world have no place in the United States.”
“Songotoua’s role in the violent 2015 effort to overthrow Burkina Faso’s government, which included holding a national leader hostage and killing and injuring protesters, reflects a grave disregard for human life and the rule of law,” Genalo said in a statement shared with The Daily Wire.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations special agents working with the Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, which targets individuals accused of participating in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, female genital mutilation, and the recruitment or use of child soldiers, according to ICE.
HSI currently has more than 190 active investigations into suspected human rights violators. The agency has also received more than 1,985 leads and removal cases involving alleged human rights violators from 95 countries.
“ERO New York, with essential support from Homeland Security Investigations New York and the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, will continue to identify and remove human rights violators who attempt to seek refuge in our communities,” Genalo said.
Federal immigration authorities reported more than 442,000 deportations during fiscal year 2025, marking a major increase over the previous year.
ICE and Homeland Security officials say the Trump administration has sharply expanded efforts to remove suspected gang members, cartel affiliates, and foreign nationals accused of violent crimes or human rights abuses.
Homeland Security Investigations currently maintains more than 190 active probes involving suspected human rights violators from dozens of countries, according to ICE data.
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