#Other countries : In an interview granted Tuesday on national television, the head of the Burkinabè government spoke about the controversial return of the condemned ex-president Blaise Compaoré to Burkina Faso.
This trip, which was part of a meeting – failed – of all former Burkinabè presidents still alive in order to “accelerate national reconciliation” and find a solution to jihadism, has been widely criticized inside and outside national borders. In addition, the former head of state ousted from power in October 2014 simply returned to Côte d’Ivoire, where he has been exiled since his fall. Without being worried.
Returning to this controversy, Ouédraogo declared that “before Mr. Blaise Compaoré came, there were steps taken beforehand. That’s what a lot of people don’t know. We have approached the family of Thomas Sankara, in particular Mariam Sankara (the wife of the assassinated president, editor’s note), to inform them of this situation and what we intend to do”.
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However, on the sidelines of the meeting between the transitional president Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba and his predecessors, the lawyers for the families of Thomas Sankara and his 12 murdered companions hosted a press conference to ask forexecution of the arrest warrantt issued against Blaise Compaoré, that is to say his immediate arrest.
Continuing his interview, the head of the Burkinabè government added: “We also approached the Superior Council of the Judiciary and we explained to them the approach that we are taking and reassured that we are not twisting the blow. to justice, to consecrate impunity, but to say that the Burkinabè are capable of forming the sacred union that we live in”. Convincing explanations? Not so sure, because they do not solve the real problem of the independence of justice in the country.
Regarding the meeting itself, Ouédraogo said he was surprised by the absence of Roch Marc Kaboré. The ex-president overthrown by a coup d’etat last January 24 was indeed prevented by his militants from taking part in what they described as a “masquerade”. Like him, his predecessors Michel Kafando and Yacouba Zida also missed the call, the first for health reasons and the second for administrative reasons.
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“I was surprised by the absence of Mr. Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, during the July 8 meeting between the former Heads of State, because during the 2020 presidential campaign, he himself told Ziniaré that his primary objective, that one of his projects when elected would be to bring Mr. Blaise Compaoré back within six months. It was a campaign promise,” explained the Prime Minister.
According to him, “many did not understand” the government’s approach. “It was not a question of bringing Mr. Blaise Compaoré back permanently, but it was above all a question of showing that the former leaders and the current leaders can be united, can form a sacred union to show our defense forces and security that everyone, that all the components of our society are behind them”, he justified himself, adding that “our approach was to boost the morale of our defense and security forces”.