ICE New York removes convicted coup leader to Burkina Faso

NEW YORK — ICE removed a convicted Burkinabe coup leader from the United States to Burkina Faso on April 22 pursuant to a final order of removal from an immigration judge.

During immigration proceedings, the court found Zakaria Songotoua, 40, was ineligible for immigration benefits because he participated in the attempted Sept. 16, 2015, coup d’etat in Burkina Faso while he was a member of the Presidential Security Regiment. During the attempted coup, a rogue group of RSP members held hostage the interim president and prime inister and fired on protestors, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 11 people and injuring more than a hundred. Although Songotoua fled Burkina Faso before trial, he was convicted in absentia of murder, assault and battery, and an attack on state security and sentenced to 30 years in prison.

“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 protestors, reflects a grave disregard for human life and the rule of law,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations New York City Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo. “Individuals who engage in such bloodshed anywhere in the world have no place in the United States. 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.”

The case was investigated by HSI New York’s Document & Benefit Fraud Task Force and supported by the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center. Established in 2008, the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center furthers the government’s efforts to identify, locate and prosecute human rights abusers in the U.S., including those who are known or suspected to have participated in persecution, war crimes, genocide, torture, extrajudicial killings, female genital mutilation and the use or recruitment of child soldiers. Currently, HSI has more than 190 active investigations into suspected human rights violators and is pursuing more than 1,985 leads and removal cases involving suspected human rights violators from 95 different countries. Since 2003, the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center has issued more than 80,000 lookouts for potential perpetrators of human rights abuses and stopped over 415 human rights violators and war crimes suspects from entering the U.S.

If you have information about potential former human rights violators in the U.S., contact law enforcement through ICE’s Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE or fill out ICE’s Tip Form. You can also email HRV.ICE@ice.dhs.gov.