13 go on trial for plotting coup against Compaore

Eleven military officers and two civilians went on trial before a military tribunal in Burkina Faso on Tuesday, charged with plotting to overthrow President Blaise Compaore last year. A crowd of several hundred sympathisers gathered outside the court house in the capital Ouagadougou, cheering and applauding as the defence lawyers spoke during the proceedings inside. Most of those on trial for conspiracy and plotting to endanger state security were arrested in September and early October. The alleged ringleader of the plot, army Captain Luther Wally Diapagry, faces an additional charge of treason. The prosecution has alleged that Wally received money and encouragement from close aides of President Laurent Gbagbo of Cote d’Ivoire. Relations between the two heads of state are very cool. Gbagbo has accused the Burkinabe leader of supporting the rebel movement that occupies the northern half of Cote d’Ivoire. Compaore is meanwhile concerned that xenophobia unleashed by the civil war in Burkina Faso’s southern neighbour has persuaded an estimated 350,000 Burkinabe immigrants in Cote d’Ivoire to flee home for safety. State prosecutor Abdoulaye Barry told the court on Tuesday that Wally and his alleged consipirators had considered seizing power by attacking the presidential palace during a cabinet meeting and taking Compaore and his ministers prisoner. They had also considered attacking the palace during an opposition demonstration, he added. Most of the accused are former members of the presidential guard, so they know the building well. The two civilians facing trial alongside the military officers are Norbert Tiendrebeogo, leader of the opposition Forces Front (FFS) opposition party, and Pascal Israel Pare, a protestant pastor in whose church the conspirators are alleged to have held meetings. Pare is accused of having played “an active and spiritual role” in preparing the coup plot. Tiendrebeogo’s FFS groups followers of the late president Thomas Sankara, who was killed in the 1987 coup which brought Compaore to power. Tiendrebeogo was said to be a close personal friend of Wally, the alleged leader of the plot to overthrow Compaore. According to the prosecution, Wally received 50 million CFA (US$100,000) in cash from Ivorian officials to recruit followers. It also alleged that the Ivorian authorities had promised to supply him with weapons. Wally is also said to have met with officials from Ghana, Benin and Togo, Burkina Faso’s other southern neighbours, while plotting the coup attempt. The prosecution said he told close aides of Togolese President Gnassingbe Eyadema that Compaore was allowing mercenaries to train at Po in southern Burkina Faso for an attack on Togo which would be made through Ghana. Four of the military officers originally arrested in connection with the coup plot were released without charge last month. A fifth man, Sergent Moussa Kabaore died in custody last October a few days after his arrest. The government said he committed suicide by hanging himself in his cell. Presiding Judge Franck Compaore said he expected the trial to last until 21 April. The prosecution has said announced that a key witness in the trial will be General Kouame Louge, a popular former head of the army. Louge was unexpectedly sacked as Defence Minister in January after being questioned in connection with the coup attempt. Halidou Ouedraogo, the head of the Burkina Faso People’s Human Rights Movement (MBDHP) is also due to testify before the court. Wally could face the death sentence if found guilty of treason. The other accused face prison terms of five to 20 years if convicted.