Compaore trial due to begin in March

Ousted Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore is expected to go on trial in March for his part in the violent crackdown on the 2014 popular uprising that overthrew him. Supreme Court prosecutor Armand Ouedraogo said other members of his former government – including ex-Prime Minister Luc Adolphe Tiao – will also stand trial. A report on The Indian Express site notes that Compaore, who lives in Ivory Coast, was Defence Minister and President at the time of the insurrection. However, he is only being prosecuted for his role as the former. ‘Of the 34 members of (Compaore's) government, seven will be tried in absentia,’ Ouedraogo added. Legalbrief reports that it was Compaore’s attempt to amend the Constitution to extend his 27-year term that caused the uprising.