After being found guilty of participation in the 1987 murder of his predecessor Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso’s former president Blaise Compaoré was sentenced to life in prison, bringing an end to a landmark trial and a decades-long search for justice.
After an internal power struggle in the aftermath of a coup, Thomas Sankara was elected president in 1983. He was one of the youngest leaders in contemporary African history at the age of 33.
His socialist program of nationalization, land redistribution, and mass social welfare was lauded as transformative during his four-year reign as president of one of the world’s poorest countries.
It is now wracked by a jihadist insurgency operating across the Sahel region and a humanitarian crisis. Continue reading to learn about his brutal death committed by Blaise Compaore.
Former President Blaise Compaoré Found Guilty In Murder Of Thomas Sankara- Know The Details
During the coup d’état that brought Blaise Compaoré to power in 1987, Sankara, 37, was gunned down along with 12 others.
They had been good friends and had seized power together in 1983. Because of his anti-imperialist attitude and ascetic lifestyle, Sankara remains a hero for many Africans.
Following his ascension to power at the age of 33, the Marxist revolutionary dubbed “Africa’s Che Guevara” waged anti-corruption campaigns and supervised massive increases in education and health spending.
Sankara was allegedly lured to his murder at a meeting of the ruling National Revolutionary Council, according to the prosecution.
As per the ballistics experts who testified during the trial, he was shot in the chest at least seven times.
Following the six-month trial, which came after years of agitation for justice by his family and supporters, the verdict was met with applause in the courtroom, according to BBC West Africa correspondent Lalla Sy.
Mariam Sankara, Sankara’s widow, who was present during the trial, said the verdict offered “justice and truth” after a 35-year wait.
Blaise Compaore Committed Murder Case Update
In the trial, which began in October, fourteen defendants were charged all with Thomas Sankara’s murder. Eight other people were convicted guilty of a variety of offenses, including lying under oath and conspiring to undermine state security.
Three people were found not guilty, including the doctor who was suspected of falsifying Sankara’s death certificate to make it appear as if he died of natural causes.
Attempts to examine the circumstances of Sankara’s death, including repeated calls for his remains to be excavated, were stifled under Compaoré’s 27-year reign, fueling speculation about his complicity in the murder.
Why Did Blaise Compaore Kill Thomas Sankara?
Blaise Compaore killed Thomas Sankara because of his anti-imperialist attitude and ascetic lifestyle.
Compaoré ruled for 27 years before being deposed in a coup in 2014 and escaping to the Ivory Coast, where he remains today.
The inquiry was restarted in 2015 by the country’s then-transitional government, and in 2016, Burkinabé authorities filed an international warrant for Compaoré’s arrest. Extradition petitions for the 70-year-old, who has subsequently become a citizen of the Ivory Coast, have been denied.