Halouné Traoré, a longtime comrade of pan-African hero and former Burkina Faso President Thomas Sankara, describes how he was the only survivor of the 1987 coup in which Sankara and 12 others were assassinated. After 34 years, the culprits are finally set to stand trial in Ouagadougou on Monday.
Traoré believes that during the trial, the truth about Sankara’s assassination will ultimately be revealed, but acknowledges that it will not be able to restore Burkina’s dreams.
“We had a meeting planned in this room around 4 pm. The comrade president arrived last, we were waiting for him in the meeting room here, and as soon as he arrived, the meeting began. So we started the meeting and as I had just been sent to Benin for a mission I had the floor. I had just enough time to say “I left Ouagadougou” and start my report when we heard shooting from outside and someone shout in a rather strong tone: “Get out! get out! get out!” So after these orders, the comrade president got up, adjusted his clothing and wen t out that way, with his hands up. He was shot at point-blank range at the entrance to that room.”
“The major expectation I have is that the truth finally gets told, the truth that a man, a group of men, and particularly President Thomas Sankara was murdered for loving his country. If the trial could allow us to establish this truth… .”
Immediate successor of Mr. Sankara, Blaise Compaore has always rejected allegations that he orchestrated the assassination of his former comrade-in-arms, yet Sankara’s killing was always a taboo throughout his many years in power.
