Burkina Faso's former president Blaise Compaoré landed in the country on Thursday, after nearly eight years in exile in Côte d'Ivoire. He was ousted from power by a popular uprising in October 2014.
The plane landed around 2:00 p.m. local time at a military air base near Ouagadougou International Airport, where dozens of supporters of the former president gathered to greet him.
Burkina Faso's presidency said that Mr. Compaoré will attend a meeting this Friday. It will include the country's current president, Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, and other former presidents to discuss relevant issues on the nation's situation.
He also stressed that "this important meeting for the life of the nation does not hinder the legal proceedings initiated against some of them." Blaise Compaoré ruled Burkina Faso from the death of former President Thomas Sankara in 1987 until October 2014, when he resigned and went into exile in neighboring Côte d'Ivoire following civil unrest when he tried to change the constitution to stay in power.
In the landmark Thomas Sankara assassination trial, which took place in Ouagadougou between October 2021 and April 2022, Compaoré was found guilty in absentia and sentenced to life in prison. For this reason, the lawyers of Sankara's family yesterday demanded in a statement the arrest of Compaoré as soon as he arrived in the country.
While for some Burkinabe citizens Compaoré's return is a chance for justice, others claim it necessary in the name of "national reconciliation and contribution to the fight against jihadism", which has already displaced more than 1.9 million of people.
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