In a historic process that took more than three decades, former president of Burkina Faso Blaise Compaoré was arrested in absentia on Tuesday morning. sentenced to life imprisonment for complicity in the assassination of his predecessor, iconic revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara. He and twelve comrades were killed in a coup in 1987, an event that left deep scars in the West African country.
Also read: Thomas Sankara, the ‘African Che Guevara’, inspires a new generation in Burkina Faso
A military tribunal finds Compaoré guilty of, among other things, “endangering state security”. The soldier was regarded as Sankara’s revolutionary brother, the one who in 1983 helped his charismatic friend to power in a coup d’état. But the two got into a fight about which way the revolution they had unleashed should go. After Sankara’s death, Compaoré ruled Burkina Faso with a heavy hand for 27 years. He denies having anything to do with the murder to this day.
Two other main suspects – Hyacinthe Kafondo, who led the assassination squad, and General Gilbert Diendéré, army chief and Compaoré confidant at the time – were also sentenced to life imprisonment. Of the three, only Diendére was present at the trial in the capital Ouagadougou. He is currently serving a 20-year sentence for a failed coup attempt in 2015. Kafondo has been on the run since 2016.
Compaoré has lived in Ivory Coast since 2014, where he fled after a popular uprising. He refused to participate in what he said was a “political process”. Côte d’Ivoire did not respond to requests to extradite him. Even if Compaoré manages to escape his prison sentence, it is unique that an African head of state has been convicted in this way by a tribunal in his own country. The warrant for his arrest remains in effect.
A total of 14 men were on trial for the murder of Sankara, who was riddled with bullets during an October afternoon meeting. Twelve other people were killed in the attack. Their bodies were then hastily buried. According to the official reading, Sankara died ‘a natural death’. Two suspects were acquitted on Tuesday, while the other nine are facing sentences of three to 20 years. When the verdict was pronounced, applause erupted in the hall.
Africa’s Che Guevara
Thomas Sankara was only 33 when he came to power, but quickly became one of Africa’s most iconic leaders. Not only did he oppose the meddling of former colonizers like France (“We must decolonize our thinking!”), as president he also introduced progressive reforms, including a women’s quota and the planting of millions of trees to fight desertification.
Sankara was a Marxist who was inspired by the Cuban Revolution, which earned him the nickname ‘Africa’s Che Guevara’. Ultimately, his revolution would last only four years. After his death, Sankara was 37, his reforms were halted. His successor Compaoré then did everything he could to erase the memories of Sankara. A legal process, a wish of the next of kin, was taboo under his rule.
That changed with his fall. However, it took until October last year for the process to start. In total, more than a hundred witnesses were heard.
Prosecutors in the trial had demanded 30 years in prison against Compaoré. The judges increased that to life in their sentence.
Defendants have 15 days to appeal.
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