The hearing lasted six (06) hours and resulted in the trial in absentia conviction of former Burkinabé president Blaise Compaoré, who was overthrown in 2014. Found guilty of the assassination of Thomas Sankara in 1987, the former president had sought refuge in Côte d’Ivoire.

From a historical perspective, it had been thirty-four (34) years since Thomas Sankara and twelve of his collaborators were assassinated during a military coup. Blaise Compaoré’s life sentence, handed down in absentia on April 6, 2022, was based on the charges of:

– Complicity in murder;
– And undermining state security.

A conviction that comes after twenty-seven (27) years in power and the fall of the former Burkinabé Head of State in 2014. He is accused of being the main mastermind behind the assassination of Captain Sankara. General Gilbert Diendéré and Hyacinthe Kafando, the commando leader, were also sentenced to life imprisonment; eight (8) others received sentences ranging from three (3) to twenty (20) years in prison, and three (3) were acquitted. Supporters of Blaise Compaoré denounced the trial as a political proceeding before an exceptional court, claiming the former president’s immunity as their defense line.

Avec un dossier de plus 20 000 pages, ce procès a connu l’audition d’une centaine de personnes, l’organisation d’une reconstitution des faits sur le lieu du crime et l’analyse ADN sur les dépouilles de Sankara et de ses collaborateurs. Lors de ce procès, des pistes de complicités étrangères ont été évoquées, vis-à-vis notamment de la France, de la Côte d’Ivoire, du Libéria et de la Libye.