Opposition marches in protest against impunity

Several thousand members of opposition parties and democratic mass organisations from the country's 30 provinces marched through the streets of Ouagadougou on Saturday chanting and waving placards in protest against what they say is a culture of impunity in the country, PANA reported.

The protesters, who were demanding justice for deceased journalist Norbert Zongo, were stopped by police from reaching the president's office.

However, in a statement, the chairman of the opposition block, Tolle Sagnon, demanded the arrest of Zongo's suspected killers. Zongo, the managing editor of the 'Independent', a weekly, was found dead in his car under suspicious circumstances on 13 December 1998 at Sapouy, 100 km south of Ouagadougou.

Sagnon said the opposition would maintain its programme of activities for the commemoration of Zongo's death. The programme includes a requiem mass and a general strike on 13 and 14 December.