Authorities in Burkina Faso are demanding the extradition of Simone Compaore, brother of ex-Burkinabe dictator Blaise Compaore after the former was arrested in Paris in connection with the killing of Norbert Zongo, Burkina Faso’s most famous journalist.
Police detained Francois Compaore at the Charles de Gaulle Airport on October 29, 2017 on an international arrest warrant over the murder in 1998 of Norbert Zongo, editor of l’Indépendent newspaper and ace investigative journalist in Burkina Faso.
A court in Paris released Francois Compaore a day after his arrest pending the determination by judges of the Burkinabe government’s request that he be extradited to face trial.
Zongo was killed while investigating the murder of Francois’s chauffeur. The then President’s brother has since been suspected of the two murders. However, as a powerful figure in his brother’s 27-year dictatorship, he was untouchable.
Norbert Zongo’s killing and its silent aftermath is one of the most alarming cases of impunity in West Africa. The MFWA therefore welcomes the arrest of Simone Compaore and the Burkinabe government’s express willingness to put him on trial as a step in the right direction.