Determined to foster national unity, the military junta leader of Burkina Faso has granted pardons to 21 soldiers who were convicted for their roles in the failed 2015 coup, according to an official decree obtained by the media on Monday.
Captain Ibrahim Traore, who has led the troubled West African nation since a September 2022 coup, announced an “amnesty pardon” in December of the previous year for individuals convicted in connection with the 2015 attempt to overthrow the transitional government that followed the ousting of former President Blaise Compaore.
“The following persons, who have been convicted or prosecuted before the courts for acts committed on September 15 and 16, 2015, are granted amnesty,” the decree stated, issued last week and listing the 21 soldiers.
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The list includes six officers, among them two former unit commanders of the now-disbanded presidential guard, along with 15 non-commissioned officers and rank-and-file soldiers. They were found guilty by a military tribunal in Ouagadougou in 2019 of charges including “harming state security,” murder, and treason.
Notably, the pardon did not extend to the two generals considered the masterminds of the failed coup: Gilbert Diendere, Compaore’s former chief of staff, and Djibril Bassole, the former head of diplomacy, who received sentences of 20 and 10 years in prison, respectively.
The pardoned soldiers have until June to formally request their pardon. To qualify, they must “demonstrate a patriotic commitment to the reconquest of the territory” and “express their willingness to actively participate in the fight against terrorism.” Once pardoned, they will rejoin the Burkinabe army, which has been engaged in a decade-long struggle against jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. However, the decree specifies that they will not be eligible for compensation or career advancement.
Diendere and Bassole led the attempt to overthrow the transitional government established after Compaore’s forced resignation in October 2014, following 27 years in power. Loyalist forces successfully suppressed the coup within two weeks, resulting in 14 deaths and 270 injuries.
The justice ministry had previously announced in December that approximately 1,200 individuals convicted in connection with the 2015 coup attempt would be pardoned, with the process beginning in January.
© Ripples Nigeria
