Burkina Faso starts trial on killing of ex-leader Sankara

By SAM MEDNICK
Associated Press

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — A military court in Burkina Faso has started the trial of 14 people including former President Blaise Compaore for the killing of influential leftist leader Thomas Sankara, who was ousted as president by Compaore in a 1987 coup. According to military documents seen by The Associated Press, Compaore is charged with complicity, undermining state security and concealing corpses. He’s being tried in absentia from Ivory Coast, where he has been in exile since he was toppled in 2014. After opening the case on Monday, the military tribunal postponed it for two weeks.  The trial is seen as a significant step to determine the circumstances surrounding Sankara’s death, which has been shrouded in secrecy for nearly 35 years.