Wednesday, 24 February 2016
No surprise' that Compaore has switched nationalities
Mr Compaore's wife Chantal was born in Ivory Coast
The news that Burkina Faso ex-president Blaise Compaore is now a citizen of Ivory Coast has sparked rage in some camps and resignation in others.
But one thing for sure: it has surprised few.
Mr Compaore is a long-time friend of Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara.
When he fled Burkina Faso after he was ousted by his people in October 2014, he came straight to Ivory Coast and stayed in a government house in the capital, Yamoussoukro.
Mr Compaore’s wife is also French-Ivorian. So legally his new citizenship is completely normal.
But the issue is that Ivory Coast does not extradite its citizens.
And an international arrest warrant was issued in December for Mr Compaore over his alleged role in the murder of his predecessor Thomas Sankara.
People want to see justice for the murder of the man known by many across the continent as Africa’s Che Guevara.
But with Mr Compaore enjoying Ivorian citizenship, it is unlikely he will ever go back to Burkina Faso.
He has always denied involvement in the 1987 murder of Sankara.
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