Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al-Qassam Brigades says its fighters are engaging in fierce clashes with the occupation forces, killing and wounding soldiers east of Jabalia camp.
Israeli media platforms are circulating preliminary reports about a multi-causality ambush in Jabalia camp, Gaza.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 35 martyrs, 75 injured in occupation targeting of civilians seeking food aid in Rafah, Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Da Silva: What is happening in Gaza is not a war, it is a genocide
Da Silva: Even the Jewish people do not want this war; it is revenge by a government against the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state
Brazilian President Lula da Silva: What we are seeing is not a war between two armies. [What we have is a] completely professional army that is killing women and children in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas: We affirm our readiness to immediately begin a round of indirect negotiations to reach an agreement on the points of contention
Hamas: We welcome the continued Qatari and Egyptian efforts to end the war waged by the Zionist occupation against our people
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli occupation forces blew up Noura Al-Kaabi Hospital, designated for kidney dialysis patients, in the northern Gaza Strip
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli drone targets a car on the Ayta al-Shaab-Debel road in southern Lebanon

With constitution restored, trial of Thomas Sankara to proceed

  • By Al Mayadeen Net
  • Source: Agencies
  • 31 Jan 2022 23:59
3 Min Read

Burkina Faso's military council seizes power in the country and restores the constitution, meaning the trial of the country's slain hero Thomas Sankara is expected to proceed.

  • x
  • Thomas Sankara Mural in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
    Thomas Sankara Mural in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

A military court in Burkina Faso ruled Monday that the long-awaited trial for the assassination of revolutionary hero Thomas Sankara, assassinated in 1987, can proceed now that the ruling military council has restored the constitution.

On Wednesday, the trial of Sankara's accused killers will resume, though it had been set to resume in the capital, Ouagadougou, on Monday. However, it was postponed after some parties urged its postponement pending the military council's "judicial normalization."

Lawyer Prosper Farama, representing the Sankara family, said earlier, "We do not want a trial (with) flaws." 

The trial began in October of last year and has been widely watched by the Burkinabe people. Sankara was a 33-year-old army captain when he ascended to power in a coup in 1983, and he is revered by African revolutionaries as well as globally.

The Marxist-Leninist revolutionary launched a struggle against imperialism and colonialism that was plaguing the continent, enraging Western leaders and colonial powers but winning admirers across Africa and beyond. 

Sankara and twelve other officials were slain by an armed group in a coup d'état staged by his old colleague Blaise Compaoré on October 15, 1987. Compaore claimed that Sankara threatened foreign relations with France, which had colonized Burkina Faso and violated the rights of its people.

Blaise Compaore grabbed power through a coup afterward. Compaore's autocratic tenure lasted for 27 years before he fled to the neighboring Ivory Coast after being overthrown by a public uprising in 2014.

Related News

Burkina Faso's military junta claims to thwart ‘total chaos’ attempt

Algeria closes airspace to Mali, recalls ambassadors over drone row

After his widow accused France of masterminding his assassination, the Burkina Faso government urged the French government to reveal military papers regarding Sankara's death in 2016.

Compaore and his former right-hand man, General Gilbert Diendere, are accused of endangering state security, murdering, concealing bodies, and interfering with witnesses. Compaore has disputed long-held Burkinabe accusations that he orchestrated Sankara's assassination, while Diendere has been holding on to a "not guilty" plea.

On January 24, Burkinabe soldiers deposed Compaore's successor, Roch Marc Christian Kabore.

The soldiers then proceeded to establish a military council that disbanded the government and parliament and suspended the constitution for several days.

It had promised to restore "constitutional order" in a "reasonable time." It also promised to protect the judicial system's "independence."

Farama, the family lawyer, on the other hand, maintained that the constitution safeguarded the court's independence. He argued that court sessions should be halted because the constitution had been suspended.

Burkina Faso says constitution restored

Burkina Faso's military leaders announced Monday that the constitution has been restored, a week after the country's government was overthrown by a military coup.

In a televised address, Lieutenant-Colonel Cyprien Kabore said the Patriotic Movement for Preservation and Restoration (MPSR), which took the reins of power last Monday, would preserve "the continuity of the state pending the establishment of transitional bodies."

He read out 37 articles that the MPSR will adopt, including a "basic act" that "lifts the suspension of the constitution."

  • Burkina Faso
  • Africa
  • Thomas Sankara

Most Read

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive to a news conference in the East Room of the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, in Washington (AP)

Rift widens: Trump, Netanyahu clash in heated phone call over Iran

  • Politics
  • 26 May 2025
Lebanon's PM Nawaf Salam meets with US envoy Morgan Ortagus in Beirut on April 5, 2025 (Dalati Nohra via AP)AP)

Morgan Ortagus to exit US role in Lebanon amid policy shift

  • Politics
  • 1 Jun 2025
An Israeli army vehicle moves in the Gaza Strip as seen from southern occupied Palestine, Thursday, May 29, 2025 (AP)

Hamas rejects Witkoff ceasefire plan, says alters terms

  • Politics
  • 29 May 2025
Spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announces a new operation against Ben Gurion Airport on May 29, 2025 (Yemeni Military Media)

Yemen announces successful hypersonic missile strike on Ben Gurion

  • Politics
  • 30 May 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Russia-Ukraine peace talks resume in Istanbul amid escalating war
Europe

Ukraine, Russia head for Istanbul talks as battles rage, cmdr. resigns

Australia urged to join Macron-led push for Palestinian statehood
Asia Pacific

Australia urged to join Macron-led push for Palestinian statehood

‘Israel’ lost international legitimacy for war on Gaza: Israeli media
Palestine

‘Israel’ lost 'international legitimacy' for Gaza war: Israeli media

MSF Chief: US-Israeli aid plan in Gaza ‘Dehumanising’
Politics

US-Israeli aid plan in Gaza used as tool for forced displacement: MSF

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS