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Burkina Faso: Trial postponed of former leader Blaise Compaore
A court in Burkina Faso on Thursday last week postponed the trial of former leader Blaise Compaore and his cabinet for their alleged role in killing protesters during an uprising in October 2014 that overthrew his government.
The unrest saw crowds of hundreds of thousands marched in the capital Ouagadougou against Compaore’s attempt to prolong his 27-year rule, driving him into exile in Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) where he remains.
“After concertation, we agreed to meet on May 4 at 9:00 a.m.,” said the high court’s president Mathieu Ouedraogo. The decision followed a request from a lawyer for the defence.
At least 25 ministers from Compaore’s former cabinet turned up at court on Thursday, shaking hands and talking amicably as a large crowd looked on from the benches. Compaore and the ministers face assassination charges for allegedly authorizing the use of force that killed at least 24 protesters.
The country has since had peaceful presidential elections that brought Roch Marc Christian Kaboré to power in 2015.