The former President of Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaoré, has asked the people of Burkina Faso for their “pardon” for the acts committed during his 27 years in power, in particular the family of President Thomas Sankara, who was killed during the coup d’etat which propelled to the head of state on October 15, 1987.
“I apologize to the people of Burkina Faso for all the acts that I may have committed during my magisterium and more particularly to the family of my brother and friend Thomas Sankara”, indicates the former head of state in a message read by Burkinabè government spokesman Lionel Bilgo.
“I assume and deplore from the bottom of my heart, all the suffering and drama experienced by all the victims during my mandates at the head of the country and ask their families to grant me their forgiveness”, adds Compaoré.
Blaise Compaoré, 71, came to power in 1987 following a coup that cost the life of then-president Thomas Sankara, of whom he was a close friend before he was killed.
Last April, the Ouagadougou military court had sentenced him in absentia to life imprisonment for his role in this assassination, after a six-month river trial.
Knocked down by the street in 2014, Blaise Compaoré has since lived in Côte d’Ivoire, but was able to return briefly to his country for a few days in early July without being arrested.
In his message, he thanked Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara for facilitating this return.
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