Opposition stresses accountability

A group of opposition parties, unions and human rights activists have said that the culture of impunity in Burkina Faso must end before it will agree to a government of national unity proposed by the government, news organisations reported. The group, known as the Collectif, said the circumstances surrounding the deaths of independent journalist Nobert Zongo and David Ouedraogo must be clarified first, AFP reported. Ouedraogo, a one-time chauffeur for President Blaise Compaore's brother, Francois, was tortured to death in January 1998, reportedly by members of the presidential guard. Zongo, who had been investigating Ouedraogo's death, was found dead in December 1998 along with three others in his vehicle. So far, AFP said, just three presidential guards have been arrested for their role in Ouedraogo's death and "no arrests have been made in the Zongo case". In a recent report, a council of elder statesmen including former presidents proposed a government of national unity as a way out of the country's political quagmire. In a statement, the Collectif demanded that Francois Compaore and six guards suspected of killing Zongo be arrested and tried and called for an immediate and complete reform of Burkina Faso's justice system. It also said that "the militias recruited and led for the most part by government ministers, deputies and mayors should be disarmed", AFP said.