A military court in Burkina Faso has started the trial of 14 people including former President Blaise Compaore for the killing of influential leftist leader Thomas Sankara, who was ousted as president by Compaore in a 1987 coup.
Compaore is charged with complicity, undermining state security and concealing corpses, according to military documents seen by The Associated Press. He’s being tried in absentia from Ivory Coast, where he has been in exile since he was toppled in 2014.
Ivory Coast has refused to extradite Compaore since Burkina Faso put out a warrant for his arrest six years ago.
Compaore’s former right-hand man Gen. Gilbert Diendere is among the accused and wore a military camouflage uniform at the opening of the trial Monday in Ouagadougou, the capital.
The trial, expected to last several months, is seen as a significant step toward determining the circumstances surrounding Sankara’s death, which has been shrouded in secrecy for nearly 35 years.
Mariam Sankara, the slain leader’s widow, attended the opening of the trial.
Compaore’s lawyers said the former president will “not surrender” or attend the trial as he was never summoned for questioning before being charged, according to a statement.
Sankara, with a reputation as ‘Africa’s Che Guevara,’ has had a lasting impact on the country, changing its name from the French colonial Upper Volta to Burkina Faso, which means “land of honest men” in the local Moore and Dioula languages.
The trial comes as Burkina Faso is experiencing escalating violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State, which has killed thousands, displaced more than 1.4 million people.
Political analysts say the trial of those charged with Sankara’s death is a significant, symbolic step, although its impact will be limited given that Compaore, the main accused, will be absent.
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