Op-Ed highlights the power of activists in Burkina Faso

Human Rights Practice faculty member Prof. Phyllis Taoua recently published an article on the website The Conversation titled "Guilty verdict in Sankara trial shows power of activists to fight impunity in Burkina Faso." Todd Laufenberg, a Master’s student in the Human Rights Practice program, contributed to this article.

"On April 6, 2022, a military tribunal in Burkina Faso found 11 men, including the former president, Blaise Compaoré, guilty of “attacks on state security, complicity in murder and concealment of a corpse.”

This marked a historic moment for the West African nation. The trial which began in October 2021 was intended to uncover the truth behind the 1987 assassination of Burkina Faso’s revered leader, Thomas Sankara.

In practical terms, the verdict may not have an immediate effect on the lives of the perpetrators. Compaoré and his closest lieutenant, Yacinthe Kafando, were tried in absentia, as they currently reside in Côte d’Ivoire. Another defendant, Gilbert Diendéré is already in prison in Burkina Faso for attempting a coup in 2015.

But for the country of Burkina Faso, Sankara’s widow and civil society across the continent the verdict has enormously important symbolic power. It is an important step toward ending the culture of impunity that has shielded powerful men who have ruled since Sankara’s assassination from justice."

You can continue reading this article on The Conversation.