A military tribunal in Burkina Faso has sentenced the nation’s former President, Blaise Compaore to life imprisonment for the murder of his predecessor, Thomas Sankara.
In its ruling, the tribunal said “The court finds Blaise Compaoré and Hyacinthe Kafando guilty of attack on state security, complicity in murder and concealment of a corpse”.
It’s imperative to note that the former president was charged in absentia alongside Hyacinthe Kafando, his former head of security, who was also sentenced to life imprisonment.
Compaoré and Kfando have previously denied any involvement in Sankara’s death along with 12 other defendants accused of involvement in the plot.
Local reports have it that three of the defendants were declared innocent by the court.
It could be recalled that Sankara was assassinated in a coup led by Compaoré on October 15, 1987.
Official reports have it that he was gunned down in Ouagadougou, the country’s capital, at the age of 37 — four years after he took power through a coup.
Records have it that Sankara assumed office with great promise, vowing to thwart corruption and post-colonial influences, while also denouncing foreign aid as a control mechanism.
During his time in office, he won public support for his efforts to improve the economy and his promotion of policies to reduce excessive spending by public officials.
Official records have it that after succeeding Sankara, Compaoré went on to rule for 27 years before being ousted in a 2014 coup following his attempt to amend the constitution to extend his tenure.
Compaoré subsequently fled to Ivory Coast where he was given citizenship.
