The murder trial of Burkina Faso’s legendary “father of the revolution,” Thomas Sankara, is set to begin on Monday, 34 years after his assassination.
Fourteen people will face charges, including the country’s former president, Blaise Compaoré.
14 persons will stand trial on October 11 at a military court in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, for the murder of the country’s former president, Thomas Sankara, and 12 members of his entourage, in one of Africa’s most keenly awaited prosecutions in years.
Sankara, well known as the “African Che Guevara,” rose to power in a coup in 1983. Many followers regard him as a national hero, claiming that by refusing IMF and World Bank aid, he defended national sovereignty.
Sankara’s detractors say he was an authoritarian leader, alleging human rights violations including arbitrary arrests of political opponents and extrajudicial killings.
Sankara was killed four years after taking power, when commando troops stormed the headquarters of his National Revolutionary Council and shot him dead – bringing to power Blaise Compaoré, hitherto Sankara’s close friend and right-hand man.
Compaoré then ruled Burkina Faso for nearly three decades, before a popular uprising overthrew him in 2014 and he fled to neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire.
The ex-strongman is the main defendant in the forthcoming trial – but he will not go to Ouagadougou to stand in the dock, his lawyers said on Thursday.
Despite Compaoré’s absence, the trial is hotly anticipated – with more than 200 hundred journalists from across the world accredited to cover the proceedings.
