Burkina Faso: And Justice For Some

BURKINA FASO

And Justice For Some

A military court in Burkina Faso on Monday convicted and jailed two generals on charges of masterminding a coup in 2015 against the country’s transitional government.

The court sentenced General Gilbert Diendere to 20 years in prison on charges of murder and harming state security, while General Djibril Bassole, accused of treason, was given a 10-year prison sentence, Al Jazeera reported.

Both generals were allies of deposed former president Blaise Compaore, who fled the country in 2014 after attempting to extend his grip on power.

A transitional government took over, but it was overthrown by an elite unit of the army on Sept. 16, 2015 – less than a month before scheduled general elections.

The coup only lasted a week, but it caused a deep rift in Burkina Faso’s armed forces and weakened their ability to cope with attacks from militant groups in a country rife with inter-ethnic violence.

Last month, a terrorist attack killed at least two dozen soldiers, the latest in a series of attacks against the military and also civilians in the past four years.

The decision has been hailed as a victory by many in the country, who had hoped the judicial process would provide more detail on what exactly happened and usher in a period of reconciliation.

“Today, we know who did what and, especially, why,” said Guy Herve Kam, a lawyer representing civilian plaintiffs.