A court in Burkina Faso has sentenced the country’s former president, Blaise Compaoré, to life in prison for the murder of his predecessor, Thomas Sankara.
Sankara, who was not one of those African leaders to be told what to do by western nations, was murdered after four years in power in a coup led by his former friend Compaoré, reports face2faceafrica.com.
The court, after a six-month trial, handed down the sentence to the former president in absentia. Hyacinthe Kafando, Compaoré’s former security chief who is accused of leading the hit squad, was also found guilty.
Compaoré succeeded Thomas Sankara and ruled Burkina Faso for 27 years before being removed from power in a 2014 uprising following his decision to extend his tenure.
He fled to Ivory Coast, where he has since been in exile.
The ex-leader has denied involvement in Sankara’s murder.
ghanaweb.com