On October 31, 2014, a popular uprising in Ouagadougou, in the main cities and in the most remote areas forced Blaise Compaoré to
flee Burkina Faso and abandon
the dictatorial power he exercised
there for 27 years.
The long reign of Blaise Compaore
at the head of Burkina Faso was one characterized
by the most widespread violations of human rights and acts of destabilization of the sub-region.
From the physical liquidation of his political friends (Thomas Sankara, Jean-Baptiste Lingani
Boukari, Henri Zongo
....) to the wars
in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d'Ivoire and
the disappearance and murder of
opposition figures and members civil
society such as the journalist Norbert Zongo,
Blaise Compaore has shown to the face of Burkina his
country, Africa and the world his contempt for the sanctity of human life!
In Sierra Leone in collusion with Charles Taylor (sentenced to 50 years for crimes against humanity by the Special UN Tribunal for Sierra Leone), he mounted,
equipped, supported and led a rebellion whose bloody
character has few
parallels in the history of mankind. The war he initiated
in this country has claimed according to the United Nations more than 120,000
deaths. Thousands
of people were deliberately
mutilated: this included the amputation
of hands to prevent people from
working and especially to vote.
Children were kidnapped, boys forcibly recruited as soldiers and girls turned into sex
slaves.
For a long time, Africans and the entire international community have repeatedly
proclaimed their commitment to the fight
against impunity. The departure of Blaise Compaore from power offers
an excellent opportunity to translate into practice this
oft repeated statement.
We, the undersigned: Didier Awadi, Docteur Félix Atchadé,
Clothilde Ohouochi, Professeur Albert Bourgi, Célestine Dabah, Seydi Gassama,
Martine Boudet, Sylvie Bocquet N'Guessan, Nicoletta Fagiollo, Professeur Michel Galy, Théophile Kouamouo, Grégory Protche, Docteur Nouha Sonko, Reine Bassène,
Karine Ballon, Fatou Mahine, Docteur Abdoul Khadre Sarr,
Mathilde Thépault, Christine Tibala , Odile Sankara, Vaber Douhouré, Association Femmes en
résistance , Association Halte aux génocides , Groupe médical section sénégalaise Amnesty International