OUAGADOUGOU-(MaraviPost)-Former President of Burkina Faso Blaise Compaore’ has been sentenced to life imprisonment over the 1987 assassination of revolutionary leader Thomas Sankala.
Compaore’ recieved his fate on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 by a military court in the country after a six-month trial.
Thomas Sankala was assassinated on October 15, 1987 during a coup led by Compaore and his sentencing follows a request by Military prosecutors in Ouagadougou for him to get a 30-year sentence after being tried together with 13 others.
Sankala, was killed aged 37 along with 12 other government officials and in return, Compaore became his successor, ruling until his 2014 ouster and fled to neighbouring Ivory Coast where he was given citizenship and he was tried in absentia.
Two other main suspects Gilbert Diendere, one of the leaders of the 1987 putsch and leader of 2015 coup, as well as Hyacinthe Kafando, leader of Compaore’s guards at the time were also handed life imprisonment.
Kafando was also tried in absentia but Diendere is in custody already.