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Ex-presidential guard charged with journalist's murder

Country Map - Burkina Faso IRIN
Burkina Faso
    ABIDJAN

    A former presidential guard was indicted on Friday for the murder of journalist Norbert Zongo, who was killed while investigating the suspicious death of a driver of the brother of Burkina Faso's president, Blaise Compaore.

    Marcel Kafando was among a group of six persons whom an Independent Investigation Commission had termed "serious suspects" in Zongo's death. Kafando has been serving a 20-year jail term since last August for the murder of David Ouedraogo, who had been the driver of Francois Compaore.

    The charred bodies of Zongo, publisher of the popular 'l'Independent' weekly, and three companions were found in December 1998 in his car on a road some 100 km from the capital, Ouagadougou.

    Kafando's indictment came amid growing fears that the case might never be heard after the death in prison last month of another "serious suspect" in Zongo's murder, Edmond Koama. Koama had also been serving a 20-year prison term for Ouedraogo's murder.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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