The military court decided to indict former President Blaise Compaoré for attack on state security, complicity in murder, and concealment of corpses in the case of the assassination of former Head of state Thomas Sankara. Gilbert Diendéré, Blaise Compaoré’s former right-hand man, is also on trial. A total of 14 people are scheduled to appear in court in this case.
The former president is being prosecuted for attacking state security, complicity in murder, and receiving corpses, and will have to appear in court for a trial. According to the court decision, there are sufficient charges against the former leader for the handling of corpses, and the court maintains the international arrest warrant against the man who is living in exile in Côte d’Ivoire.
Almost 34 years after the death of President Thomas Sankara, “the time for justice has finally come, a trial can begin, it is now up to the military prosecutor to schedule the hearing. This was the reaction on Tuesday of Guy Hervé Kam, lawyer for the Bamouni, Kiemdé and Sawadogo families, after the charges against former President Blaise Compaoré, who presided over Burkina Faso for 27 years (1987-2014) after the death of his brother in arms, were confirmed.
“I hope that former President Blaise Compaoré, responsibly, voluntarily and freely, will appear at this trial to give his version of events. Let all parties have the opportunity to express themselves, let the truth be known in this case, and let justice be done. I think that what the families are mainly waiting for from this procedure is the truth,” said Prosper Farama, one of the lawyers for the Sankara family.
The warrant has also been upheld for Hyacinthe Kafando, who is being prosecuted for murder and attack on state security. He is the alleged leader of the commando who carried out the assassination of Captain Thomas Sankara and his companions. Hyacinthe Kafando has been on the run since 2015. Also accused in this case is General Gilbert Diendéré, a close associate of Blaise Compaoré. In this case, fourteen people have been referred to the courts.
At the same time, the military court has ordered the detention of all whose charges have been confirmed. The arrest warrants are therefore maintained against those who are abroad. “If they do not appear in court, they will be tried in absentia,” explained a magistrate.
Thomas Sankara was a president adulated by the youth of his country. They saw him as a man capable of fighting corruption. His death caused a huge shock in October 1987 when the leader of the revolution and 12 of his companions were shot dead in a meeting in Ouagadougou. This future trial, whose date is not known for the moment, is the result of several years of proceedings and an investigation completed in late 2020 by the investigating judge. But in view of the heavy charges against him, many are already anticipating the absence of Blaise Compaoré, who also has Ivorian nationality, from the stand.