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Burkinabe ex-President Compaore charged in Thomas Sankara murder

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Burkinabe ex-President Compaore charged in Thomas Sankara murder


Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso – A military court in Burkina Faso’s capital has indicted former President Blaise Compaore in connection to the 1987 murder of his charismatic predecessor, Thomas Sankara.

A statement issued by the court on Tuesday cited “complicity in assassination” and an “attack on state security” by Compaore, who ruled the country until 2014, when he was forced to resign in the face of mass demonstrations against an attempt to extend his 27-year rule
.


Thirteen others – including Gilbert Diendere, Compaore’s right hand man, and Hyacinthe Kafando, his security chief – were also indicted on charges ranging from “assassination” to “concealment of corpses”.

Benewende Stanislas Sankara, a lawyer representing the relatives of the slain former president, described the indictment as “a victory and a step in the right direction”.

“It’s with a sigh of relief the family can now go ahead with all the guarantees that surround Burkinabe justice,” he told Al Jazeera. “We can now calmly go to trial.”

Burkina Faso’s communications minister said an official government statement on the indictment will likely be issued on Wednesday. Eddie Komboigo, leader of the Compaore-founded Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP) party, declined to comment on the court’s announcement.


Compaore, who has been in exile in neighbouring Ivory Coast since 2014, has always denied involvement in Sankara’s assassination.



Sankara took power in 1983, but he was killed aged 37 along with 12 other government officials during a coup led by Compaore on October 15, 1987.


Many Burkinabes regard Sankara as a national hero. A prominent pan-Africanist, he is sometimes also referred to as the continent’s “Che Guevera”, in reference to the Argentinian Marxist revolutionary who led a number of armed struggles, including in Cuba.

In 2015, authorities exhumed what are thought to be Sankara’s remains from a grave in Dagnoen, on the outskirts of Ouagadougou. Sankara’s widow said an autopsy revealed his body was “riddled with more than a dozen bullets”.


To this day, graffiti calling for “Justice for Sankara” is a common sight throughout the capital.


“It is a matter for the Burkinabe people – and, I have to say, the African people. So this transcends Thomas Sankara’s family,” said Benewende Sankara.


‘Decisive step’​

Following his re-election last year, President Roch Kabore appointed a minister for national reconciliation, Zephirin Diabre, who pledged to address the issue of justice for Sankara.

In 2015, Burkinabe courts had issued an international arrest for Compaore, but Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara has prevented his extradition back to Burkina Faso despite an extradition treaty between the two countries.

During his election campaign in the lead-up to the November 2020 polls, Kabore had also said he would be open to Compaore returning to the country to live out retirement.

A national debate ensued over whether the former president, now 70, should face trial upon his return or be effectively pardoned in the interests of national reconciliation.

“The warrant can be executed at any time if Cote d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso implement the existing agreements between the two states properly,” Benewende Sankara said. “I must specify that it can happen very quickly.”


Tuesday’s indictment may put further pressure on Ivory Coast to follow through on the extradition treaty.

It is unclear when the trial will take place.

Sankara’s relatives initially brought the case to the courts in 1997. It was closed soon after, before being reopened by the country’s then-transitional government in 2015.


“We can say that the Sankara case has now passed all the stages needed to see judgement,” Lassane Sawadogo, executive secretary of the ruling People’s Movement for Progress party (MPP) told Al Jazeera.

“This represents a decisive step forward for the manifestation of the truth.”
 

SlowYourRoll

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It's been a long time coming. Sad thing is I remember reading somewhere that they used to be the best of friends Sankara trusted Compaore implicitly. He never saw the knife coming until it was buried in his back.
 

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I've never logged in and flew straight to a thread so fast in my life.


92D195E9-A10E-49F3-B3E6-9AD323BDBB44.jpeg
 

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Yes !!!

Finally poetic justice. I hope the traitor is sentenced and suffers more than Thomas Sankara's pain at being betrayed by someone he trusted.
 

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Death by firing squad in Jesus name I pray. Sankara saw him as a brother and how does this piece of garbage repay him? I remember watching his documentary and Sankara's father saw him as a son, and wanted to ask why compaore would kill his son.
 

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This is such wonderful news. Compaore is a demon incarnate. He changed the course of history in such a negative way.
 

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This is great news butttt I hope at some point they address the involvement France had in it too. It’s all well and good discarding the puppets but let’s see that heat reach the puppet masters too.
 

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Good news. My brothers and sisters from Burkina faso can see what Justice is like. I hope they hang this kneegro. Traitor.
 

MargaeryTyrell

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Good news, but will the French agents be charged at The Hague like many African and Arab leaders are? Blaise is a horrible traitor, but ultimately he was just a puppet following the orders of the French in exchange for power. Real change will happen when neo-colonialists pay for their crimes.
 

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This is great news butttt I hope at some point they address the involvement France had in it too. It’s all well and good discarding the puppets but let’s see that heat reach the puppet masters too.
Took the words right out of my mouth. Wouldn’t have even commented if I saw yours. Ultimately, this changes nothing. It’s barely justice.
 

MargaeryTyrell

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The problem is that Ivory Coast have so far refused to extradite Compoare
What a shame. Ivory Coast itself has info on this. Seeing as Houphouët Boigny had a part to play and gave France intelligence on Sankara. Maybe the Ivory Coast government is trying to protect themselves from the sh!t that could come out if Blaise is extradited.
 

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What a shame. Ivory Coast itself has info on this. Seeing as Houphouët Boigny had a part to play and gave France intelligence on Sankara. Maybe the Ivory Coast government is trying to protect themselves from the sh!t that could come out if Blaise is extradited.

Things are going to change for the Ivorian government soon. The tides are turning, the former French president is going to jail and the former Ivorian president who was unjustly sent to The Hague was acquitted. Everyone is seeing now how they had zero proof. It’s going to pour hard on them. They cannot keep Compaore for long. Times are changing.
A lot of people do not know but Burkina is moving so smartly and slowly taking back their country. The best is yet to come.
 

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The blood of the betrayed will cry out eventually. All it takes is time.

Blaise, you killed your brother and sold your country. Your day of reckoning is here.

Enjoy it very well.
 

MargaeryTyrell

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Things are going to change for the Ivorian government soon. The tides are turning, the former French president is going to jail and the former Ivorian president who was unjustly sent to The Hague was acquitted. Everyone is seeing now how they had zero proof. It’s going to pour hard on them. They cannot keep Compaore for long. Times are changing.
A lot of people do not know but Burkina is moving so smartly and slowly taking back their country. The best is yet to come.
Happy to hear that, Sankara didn’t die in vain.
 

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I don't know who they expect to release this monster, when the current Ivoirien president himself is a bloody dictator and murderer. But things are shifting into order in the country and in africa. Soon, all of these old power hungry vampires will be out of power and the youth will take over with better initiatives for africa. Slowly but surely it's happening. The youth is revolting against these old men. Something about that older generation and being dictators and loving money too much... I pray for a better Africa. Sankara, much like Patrice Lumumba are young people that wanted better for their countries but never got the chance to do it. There are many like them with untold stories or lost stories.
 

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It's been a long time coming. Sad thing is I remember reading somewhere that they used to be the best of friends Sankara trusted Compaore implicitly. He never saw the knife coming until it was buried in his back.
It was well known 2 to 3 years before Sankara's death that he and Compaore drifted apart and had a rivalry. There are CIA documents from 1986 that show that the US correctly predicted that Compaore or 2 other key advisors will attempt a coup, particularly Compaore. I would not be surprised if the US played a role as well, simply because they were collecting data to try to see how they could benefit, though maybe they were just great analysts.
 

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