   |
|
Misanet.com / IPS , 17 February - With the indictment of Warrant Officer Marcel Kafando for the murder of journalist Norbert Zongo and three companions, Burkinabe authorities have taken a bold step toward wiping out impunity. The indictment has been long in coming, though. In May 1999, a commission of inquiry named six members of the presidential security service, including Kafando, as suspects in the 1998 murders, but it was not until last week that any steps were taken to act on the commission's ruling. Kafando's indictment is being seen here as a serious advance in the resolution of the political and judicial crisis triggered by Zongo's death. The Coalition Against Impunity, which includes many human rights organisations, labour unions, and political parties have applauded the move. The coalition was formed after Zongo's assassination to demand that his killers be arrested and brought to justice. - My first reaction is satisfaction because the coalition exerted great determination, objectivity, and perseverance in seeking out the truth, said the Coalition's president Halidou Ouedraogo. The "indictment of Marcel Kafando is just an early stage in exploring all the facts of the case. The judge needs to dig deeper and speed up the search for the truth," added Ouedraogo. Kafando, former chief of President Blaise Compaore's security service, was charged by an examining judge with assassinating Zongo and destroying his personal property. Kafando is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for his role in the torture-induced murder of David Ouedraogo, the chauffeur of the president's younger brother, Francois Compaore. Two other members of the president's security service, Ousseni Yaro and Edmond Koama, were sentenced to 10 and 20 years respectively for their role in the David Ouedraogo affair. Koama, a chief sergeant, died in early January while a patient in one of Ouagadougou's private clinics. Zongo, who was editor of the weekly publication 'L'Independant', was investigating the David Ouedraogo story when his own charred remains were found, along with those of three companions, in his car, approximately 100 kilometres south of Ouagadougou, on 13 December 1998. Francois Compaore, the brother of the president, had been charged with the murder of his chauffeur and "possession" of his body by an examining judge, but was later cleared of the crime. Ouedraogo, the coalition president, maintains that Kafando's indictment proves the death of the chauffeur was not an "accident" but a "villainous crime". Amnesty International, a human rights group based in London, also welcomed the indictment. "By bringing charges against one of the key suspects in the case of Norbert Zongo, the Burkinabe authorities have taken an important first step toward ending impunity for those responsible for the death of Norbert Zongo and his companions," Amnesty stated in a press release following the announcement of Kafando's indictment. Amnesty repeated its demands that the judiciary be allowed to act independently so it can secure a fair and prompt trial for all those involved in the killings. Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a media rights group which had been active in researching the Zongo affair, also welcomed Kafando's indictment. But, said Robert Menard, RSF's general secretary in a press release, "since Kafando has been charged, the investigating team cannot ignore the role of Blaise and Francois Compaore in this murder." - RSF cannot accept that the Burkinabe courts try only those who carried out the murder when those who ordered it continue to rule the country, added the general secretary. RSF believes that "Kafando could not have acted without the approval of his superiors." The president of the Coalition agrees. "Marcel Kafando could not have committed this crime alone. There were people behind him, and they were highly-placed individuals," Halidou Ouedraogo explained. The Zongo case plunged Burkina Faso into a two-year social and political crisis of a magnitude never before seen. The Coalition sponsored regular demonstrations intended to keep pressure on the government to get to the bottom of all unpunished crimes of the Compaore regime. A panel of experts set up to recommend ways to help the country heal counted up to 90 crimes against persons which have gone unpunished. The Coalition, which counted 130 of these crimes, notes that "you have to be tried before you can be forgiven." The Coalition has already rejected the "day of forgiveness" that the government wants to hold. "We reject this sort of event, because the government ignored us and the pardon notion here is neither objective nor honest," said Halidou Ouedraogo.
|
