General accused of leading coup that killed Sankara pleads not guilty
Africa
A key defendant in the trial over the assassination of the former president of Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara, has pleaded not guilty.
General Gilbert Diendéré is accused of being the architect of the 1987 coup in which the popular socialist leader was killed.
He became a close aide to Blaise Compaoré, who seized power in the coup and then led Burkina Faso for 27 years.
Mr Compaoré, who was toppled in an uprising and lives in exile in Ivory Coast, has long been accused of ordering Sankara’s killing.
He has denied any involvement and will be tried in absentia.
Gen Diendéré is currently serving a 20-year sentence for trying to overthrow a transitional government in 2015.
Source: BBC
