What Did Blaise Compaoré Do To Thomas Sankara?
Blaise Compaoré, who succeeded Sankara as President played a key part in Sankara’s assassination. They had been good friends and had seized power together in 1983.
Sankara and twelve other officials were assassinated by an armed group in a coup d’état staged by his old colleague Blaise Compaoré on October 15, 1987.
Sankara jeopardized diplomatic relations with former colonial power France and the neighboring Ivory Coast, according to Compaoré, who also accused his old comrade of preparing to assassinate opponents.
Blaise Compaore, the former president of Burkina Faso, risks a lengthy prison sentence if convicted of the assassination of revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara, according to military prosecutors.
Compaore’s trial began in October, as the West African country recovers from its most recent military coup, which was prompted by protests and popular outrage over Islamist atrocities.
Prosecutors sought a court to convict Compaore of “attacking state security,” “concealing a corpse,” and “complicity in a murder.” Compaore is currently in exile in Ivory Coast.
Compaore is accused of being the mastermind behind the murder.
The ‘Che Guevara of Africa’
African revolutionaries have long held Sankara in high regard. In a coup in 1983, he rose to power as a 33-year-old army captain.
When it came to opposing imperialism and colonialism, he was often at different with Western politicians at the time. He was dubbed the “Che Guevara of Africa” for advocating drastic reforms to aid the impoverished.
On October 15, 1987, a hit team assassinated Sankara and 12 of his associates at a meeting.
In the trial, 12 of the 14 defendants have appeared in court. Hyacinth Kafando, the commander of Compaore’s presidential guard who is suspected of leading the killing squad, faces 30 years in prison at the hands of the prosecution.
Gilbert Diendere, one of the army’s commanders in 1987, is also being sought for a 20-year term.
A coup led by Sankara’s old comrade-in-arms Compaore took place at the same time as the assassination.
Compaore ruled the country for 27 years before being overthrown by a public rebellion in 2014 and exiled.
“No one confessed or repented during this trial,” said Sankara family lawyer Prosper Farama, who claimed that the trial’s impending conclusion will bring some solace to those families who had suffered as a result of the crime.
