A long-awaited trial in Burkina Faso over the 1987 assassination of revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara is being suspended until “the restoration of the constitution”, a court said Monday, a week after a military coup.
But Judge Urbain Meda announced the hearing was suspended and told parties “to remain alert for the resumption, which will be after the restoration of the constitution”. “Civilian plaintiffs feel that a trial has to take place within a reasonable time, but we do not want a trial flaws,” said lawyer Prosper Farama, representing the Sankara family.It has been showcased as the chance to shed light on one of the murkiest chapters in the troubled country’s history.
The fiery Marxist-Leninist railed against imperialism and colonialism, often angering Western leaders but gaining followers across the continent and beyond.