Published on : 06/07/2022 – 22:38Modified : 07/07/2022 – 03:10
While news of Blaise Compaoré’s arrival in Burkina in the coming days had been circulating since Monday, Abidjan officially confirmed it on Wednesday July 6 in Ouagadougou. Living in Côte d’Ivoire since his fall in 2014, the former president must participate in a meeting with former Burkinabe heads of state, under the aegis of the transitional regime, as part of a reconciliation process.
Not since his overthrow by a popular uprising in 2014, Blaise Compaoré never set foot in Burkina. Eight years ago, the deposed president was welcomed in Abidjan by Alassane Ouattara, who granted him Ivorian nationality. In recent years, several delegations commissioned by the Burkinabè executive have successively visited Abidjan to study the possibilities of bringing Blaise Compaoré back to his country, to framework of reconciliation.
But the trial for the assassination of former leader Thomas Sankara, then the coup that overthrew President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré in January interrupted the process. This was finally revived by the junta.
At the end of June, Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba dispatched the former head of state Jean-Baptiste Ouedraogo to Abidjan, in a process which therefore seems to be on the verge of success, confirmed the government spokesperson. Ivorian, Amadou Coulibaly at the end of the Council of Ministers this Wednesday, to our correspondent in Abidjan, Pierre Pinto :
« Following the contacts that the President of Burkina, the Head of State who is leading the transition, has had with Côte d’Ivoire, arrangements are being made to allow President Compaoré to participate in the process of reconciliation that is engaged in his country. »
The spokesperson for the Ivorian government confirms that “there will be a meeting with all the former presidents of Burkina Faso, including Blaise Compaoré”, but says he does not know the date
His return is a political will
But his return is the result of a real political will of the presidency. The request was old. For years, supporters of Blais Compaoré have been asking for the return of the exiles, in order to allow national reconciliation. On Wednesday, government spokesman Lionel Bilgo announced the holding of a meeting between former Burkinabè heads of state, including Blaise Compaoré, by the end of the week.
« President Damiba understands that all Burkinabè want national reconciliation so that together and united, we can face terrorist groups “Explains the former leader of the opposition and president of the Congress for Democracy and Progress, the party of the former president.
“A face-to-face meeting between all the heads of state will take place by the end of the week”, confirms the spokesperson for the Burkinabè government Lionel Bilgo in San Evariste Barro, correspondent in Ouagadougou for RFI in Mandenka
A presidential pardon on the Sankara trial?
In April, Blaise Compaoré was sentenced in his absence to life imprisonment, during the trial of the assassination of Thomas Sankara. The Sankara family lawyers called on the Burkinabe authorities on Wednesday to arrest him when he got off the plane.
« In the context of reconciliation, derogations can be usedexplains Lassané Sawadogo, executive secretary of the People’s Movement for Progress. But for that there are procedures to be carried out, otherwise this return would be counterproductive. »
Among these procedures, a presidential pardon. For Guy Hervé Kam, lawyer for the civil parties in the trial of the assassination of Thomas Sankara, this solution ” would be a challenge to justice », and would show that « the putschist regime uses the terrorist alibi to force an amnesia reconciliation ».
According to the law therefore, Blaise Compaoré should be arrested as soon as he arrives on Burkinabe territory, as Maître Ambroise Farama, lawyer for the civil parties, reminds us, or else that would mean “ the failure of our judicial system » :
If “Blaise Compaoré speaks with the Head of State”, it would be “the bankruptcy of our judicial system”, affirm Maître Ambroise Farama, lawyer for the civil parties during the trial of the assassination of Thomas Sankara
In recent years, Ouagadougou has requested the extradition of Blaise Compaoré. What Côte d’Ivoire has always refused on the grounds that it does not extradite its nationals. This trip of a few days can therefore suggest that the protector of Blaise Compaoré received pledges on this point from Ouagadougou.
► Read also : Burkina Faso: the thorny question of the return of Blaise Compaoré, sentenced to life imprisonment
