Sankara assassination trial: in Burkina, a hope for truth
Audio 00:58
Aerial view of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso.
AFP - OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
Opening in Ouagadougou of the trial of the assassination of Thomas Sankara.
The leader of the Burkinabè revolution, in 1983, was killed on October 15, 1987. Fourteen people are in the accused's box, with two major absentees: Hyacinthe Kafando, suspected of having led the commando which killed Thomas Sankara, and Blaise Compaoré, the former president, accused of having ordered the crime.
This trial nevertheless raises a lot of hope for obtaining the truth about the events of October 15.
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With our special
correspondent in Ouagadougou
,
Gaëlle Laleix
In front of the Burkina building, of the Council of the Entente, Luc Damiba, secretary general of the Thomas Sankara memorial committee, thinks back over the course of the events: “
It is just where the flowers are that he was cut down. With the witnesses, the survivors, with the judicial reconstruction, we know exactly what happened here. So for us, it is very important that in the courtroom we say what exactly happened here, we want to know the investigation of the truth. We can't miss this project
. "
Paul Dipama is the cousin of Frédéric Kiemdé, killed alongside
Thomas Sankara
.
It was only the day after the events, without an explanation, that he discovered the grave of his relative: “
I went to the cemetery of Dagnoen, where I saw a leaf with a piece of wood stuck on the grave with her name.
There were flies on the graves… Really, it was not at all beautiful to see!
We didn't understand anything.
Since then, I have never, never, had the truth, we never knew what happened
.
"
We are waiting for truth and justice on Thomas Sankara.
Expectations in Burkina Faso
Gaelle Laleix
The "
orphans
of Sankara
"
Stanislas Damiba was in Cuba on October 15 where 600 teenagers like him had been sent there to study.
On his return, Burkina Faso is no longer the same and today Stanislas wants to understand: "
We are the orphans of Sankara, the students trained at the time to build the country Sankara was counting on us, he had told us so. .
For us,
the truth must be told and justice must be done
to Thomas Sankara, because we have been the beneficiaries of this revolution for nearly thirty-four years
.
"
The trial will hear the 12 accused present and some sixty witnesses.
Listen to our special edition Sankara Trial [8:15 am-9am] - 111021
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Burkina Faso
Justice
Thomas sankara
Blaise Compaore