Thomas Sankara trial in Burkina Faso: Who killed ‘Africa’s Che Guevara’?

Thirty-four years, almost to the day, since the shocking killing of Burkina Faso’s then President, Thomas Sankara, 14 men are going on trial, accused of complicity in the murder of the man known as “Africa’s Che Guevara”.

The charismatic Pan-Africanist was shot dead aged 37 by soldiers during a coup on 15 October 1987, which saw his close friend, Blaise Compaoré, come to power.

Four years previously, the pair had staged the takeover which saw Sankara become president.

Mr Compaoré is among the 14 accused but he is currently in exile in neighbouring Ivory Coast, where he fled after being forced to resign during mass protests in 2014. He has repeatedly denied involvement in Sankara’s death and is boycotting the trial.

“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” the former president’s widow Mariam Sankara told the BBC. “I want to know the truth, and who did what.”

Sankara remains something of an icon across Africa – stickers emblazoned with his face adorn taxis across West Africa, while across the continent in South Africa, radical opposition leader Julius Malema cites him as one of his inspirations.

Why is Sankara seen as such a hero?

“For us, Sankara was a patriot. He loved his people. He loved his country. He loved Africa. He gave his life for us,” said Luc Damiba, secretary general of the Thomas Sankara Memorial Committee.

It was under his rule that the country was renamed – from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso, meaning “Land of Upright People”.

Sankara himself led an austere lifestyle. He reduced his own salary, and that of all public servants. He also banned the use of government chauffeurs and first-class airline tickets.

Education was a key priority – while he was in power, the literacy rate increased from 13% in 1983 to 73% in 1987, and he also oversaw a massive national vaccination campaign.

He also redistributed land from feudal landlords and gave it directly to poor farmers, which led to a huge increase in wheat production.

Sankara called for a united Africa to stand against what he called the “neo-colonialism” of institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

He was once quoted as saying: “He who feeds you, controls you.”

He adopted an anti-imperialist foreign policy which challenged the dominance of France, which retained huge influence in many of its former colonies in Africa, such as Burkina Faso. His widow Mariam has accused France of masterminding his assassination.

“He remains my president. What he did for the population encourages us young people to do as he did,” a student at the Thomas Sankara University in Ouagadougou told the BBC.

An imposing six-metre high bronze statue at the Thomas Sankara Memorial Park in the capital, Ouagadougou, was unveiled in 2019, and then reworked last year following complaints about the first version.

IMAGE SOURCE,AFP

Image caption,The park and statue are popular tourist spots

Mr Damiba says that plans are underway to expand the park, including an 87-metre high tower overlooking Ouagadougou.

There will also be a mausoleum for Sankara, a cinema hall and a media library named after him. These facilities are expected to pass on Sankara’s revolutionary ideas to future generations.

What about his critics?

Sankara’s radical left-wing policies have been criticised by human rights organisations as draconian.

A 1986 report released by Amnesty International revealed that alleged political opponents were detained without trial and severely tortured.

IMAGE SOURCE,AFP

Image caption,Blaise Compaore was Sankara’s close friend and denies any role in his death

“I think he was too slow to accept the idea of pluralistic democracy and those who opposed him couldn’t talk to him and be heard,” said Serge Theophile Balima, who served as the minister of information in Sankara’s government.

Prof Balima added: “He wanted to give power to the people, so he delegated power to proletarians who were heading the Committees for the Defence of the Revolution [CDRs], who were recruited to moralise public and private life. In fact, they found themselves committing abuses which discredited his power.”

In an interview with the Africa Report website in 2020, former President Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo, who was ousted by Sankara, described him as having “a share of cynicism and political Machiavellianism”.

Why has the trial taken so long?

His brother, Paul Sankara, said: “We’ve waited a long time, all along the 27 years of Blaise Compaoré’s regime. Under his rule we couldn’t even dream of the possibility of a trial.”

IMAGE SOURCE,AFP

Image caption,Sakara’s supporters have long demanded justice

His widow filed a criminal complaint in 1997 over the murder of her husband, but it took 15 years for the Supreme Court to rule that the investigation could continue.

However, little progress was made until Mr Compaoré was overthrown in 2014.

The following year, remains presumed to be his were exhumed but DNA analysis was unable to confirm they were his.

In 2016, the Burkina Faso authorities officially asked the French government to release military documents about Sankara’s assassination.

Those archives were declassified and transmitted to Burkina Faso in three stages – the final one in April 2021.

Who else is on trial?

Mr Compaoré’s former chief of staff General Gilbert Diendéré and 11 others are expected to be in the military tribunal. They face charges of “attacking state security”, “complicity in assassination” and “concealment of bodies”.

Diendéré is already in prison, after being sentenced to 20 years for his role in a failed coup in 2015.

IMAGE SOURCE,AFP

Image caption,Sankara is known as “Africa’s Che Guevara”

Among the accused is Diébré Jean Christophe, the doctor who signed the death certificate, saying the former president had died from natural causes. He is charged with falsifying a public document.

The other man being charged in absentia is Hyacinthe Kafando, Mr Compaoré’s former security chief, for whom an international arrest warrant has been issued. He is accused of leading the group which carried out the killing of Sankara and 12 others.

What impact will the trial have?

There were fears that the trial could further destabilise Burkina Faso, which is already grappling with frequent attacks by jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

Mr Compaoré still retains considerable influence in the country and some analysts have warned parts of the military who remain loyal to him could stir up trouble.

But there is little sign of this.

On the contrary, President Roch Marc Kaboré hopes the trial will ease tensions and boost national reconciliation.

“I do not believe that such a trial can foster instability,” Mathieu Pellerin, a Sahel analyst at the International Crisis Group (ICG), told French magazine Jeune Afrique in April 2020.

“Reconciliation is rarely achieved without justice,” he added.

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Dictators exploiting Facebook to manipulate citizenry – Second FB whistleblower

Sophie Zhang is now the second whistleblower who, as former employees of Facebook, have come out and accused the social media giant of intentionally doing nothing to rein in malicious use of its platform.

Facebook hired Sophie Zhang to monitor fake accounts, but what she found was far more sinister. Zhang discovered that dictators around the world were setting up fake accounts and using them to manipulate their citizens.

Zhang quickly made her findings known to her superiors but says they were too slow to act to stop those malicious uses.

In fact, Zhang’s superior Guy Rosen responded in part to her saying “we prioritize stopping the most urgent and harmful threats globally (and) fake likes is not one of them.”

But Zhang in an interview with CNN insisted that what she submitted were not just fake likes. And like her predecessor Frances Haugen who also came out and accused Facebook of placing profits ahead of reining in malicious use,  Zhang felt like she was threated as a low level employee who knew little about running a business.

In the end Facebook fired Zhang last year and offered her $64,000 to sign a non-disparagement agreement, but she refused the offer.

After her termination, Zhang wrote a 7,800-word memo detailing how she felt Facebook had ignored her concerns, posted it on her Facebook page, and also on her personal web page.

Facebook not only took down her posting on their platform, the media giant went further and leaned on Zhang’s web hosting company to take her website down entirely claiming her memo contained proprietary information.

Facebook justified its action pointing to its record of taking down information across the board that it feels are harmful.

DNT News, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

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Stay Curious - Sustainable Lifestyles Challenge by Sofonie Dala- Angola. Day 14. Happy International Day of the Girl Child 2021

 Stay Curious 

Embracing a life of constant learning, adventure and curiosity

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen,

Today is the 14th day of our challenge and we would like to thank you for being here with us!

This is the only campaign that help activate sustainable living for people. The challenge has shown that small actions, taken collectively, can have a positive impact on the planet.

Why the key to lifelong learning is developing curiosity

Even in the midst of uncertainty, it’s important to take time to pause. We can use this time to reflect on our path in life and to develop our curiosity, which ultimately is the key to lifelong learning, 

Did you know that if you embrace a life of constant learning, adventure and curiosity, your well-being and quality of life will increase?

Adopt a lifelong learning approach to not only enhance your mental health and overall well-being, but also to keep your mind engaged and interested in what the wonderful world has to offer. This also applies to discovering new ways you can integrate nature into your daily life!

Reading, even for short periods of time, can dramatically reduce stress levels! So embrace a life-long learning approach to enhance your overall well-being and discover what the wonderful world has to offer. 

Learning is the eternal gift. Every single day provides us all with so many opportunities to learn and grow. Life is one big adventure in so many ways and when we adopt a curious and open mindset it’s amazing what we can discover.

Happy International Day of the Girl Child 2021

International Day of the Girl Child is observed annually by the United Nations on October 11 to honour and encourage female children. This day encourages additional opportunities for females and draws attention to gender inequality throughout the world.

Our everyday motto is: "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"

Curiosity. What is palm date?

What if you could improve your dancing through the food you eat?

Today we are spotlighting a little dancer Flo. At the same time she is breaking the palm dates to eat its seed. 

Are you okay Flo?

I'm fine thanks. 
What are you doing now?

 I'm dancing. 

What is it that you're breaking with the stone over there?

 It is the palm date.

 But why do you break it? 

To eat the coconut, its seed.

Dates are the fruit of the date palm tree, which is grown in many tropical regions of the world. 

8 Proven Health Benefits of Dates

Very Nutritious

• High in Fiber. Getting enough fiber is important for your overall health. ...
• High in Disease-Fighting Antioxidants. 
• May Promote Brain Health.
• May Promote Natural Labor. 
• Excellent Natural Sweetener. 
• Other Potential Health Benefits.
• Easy to Add to Your Diet.

COVID-19 shutdowns will disrupt early learning, formal education and livelihoods

The coronavirus pandemic could threaten decades of progress for gender equality and girls' education. For many households, lockdowns have seen incomes and savings disappear, meaning they will simply not be able to pay school fees — and where they can, boys may be prioritized.

Our today's guest is an 8 years old girl, her name is Ruth and she will share with us her experiences during lock-downs and how coronavirus has affected her life. 

This little girl confessed that the coronavirus pandemic has delayed her life, she can't go to school, she doesn't see her teacher and her classmates for a long time. She's very sad about this situation.

To continue learning, she reviews all old homework assignments and reads books. 

She recommends that the governors should put in the schools water buckets with soap for students to wash their hands, create sanitary conditions and social distance.

Many girls might not return to school 

“By trying to mitigate the risk of families falling into extreme poverty ... we hope to help mitigate the risk of those families keeping their children, especially their girls, out of school once they reopen.”

The Anatomy of Action outlines the top level changes any individual can make to support the growing shift to global sustainability.

By making individual changes to what food we eat, the stuff we buy, how we spend our money, how we move around and what we do for fun, we can bring about new ways of living that have more positive planet impacts.

#BeAnActivator #AnatomyofAction #UNESCOYouth #SustainableLifestylesChallenge

USA State Department Electronic Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV-2023): Live and Work in the United States of America.

Application Deadline: November 9, 2021. 

The congressionally mandated Diversity Visa (DV) Program provides up to 55,000 diversity visas each year, drawn randomly from all applicants who meet the strict eligibility requirements and come from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States.

The Department of State annually administers the statutorily created Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. Section 203(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides for a class of immigrants known as “diversity immigrants” from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States. For Fiscal Year 2023, up to 55,000 Diversity Visas (DVs) will be available. There is no cost to register for the DV program.

Applicants who are selected in the program (selectees) must meet simple but strict eligibility requirements to qualify for a DV. The Department of State determines selectees through a randomized computer drawing.

 The Department of State distributes diversity visas among six geographic regions, and no single country may receive more than seven percent of the available DVs in any one year.

Click here to apply: https://bit.ly/3mvXstM

Texas clinics cancel abortion appointments after court reinstates ban

Texas abortion clinics are canceling appointments they had booked during a 48-hour reprieve from the nation’s most restrictive abortion law.

FILE - In this Jan. 8, 2007 file photo, the Texas Capitol is shown in Austin, Texas. The Texas Capitol will reopen to the public in January after being closed for much of the year because of the pandemic, a decision that comes as new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are surging to the highest levels since summer. The capitol will reopen Jan. 4 — roughly a week before the Texas Legislature reconvenes for the first time since (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas clinics on Saturday canceled appointments they had booked during a 48-hour reprieve from the most restrictive abortion law in the U.S., which was back in effect as weary providers again turn their sights to the Supreme Court.

The Biden administration, which sued Texas over the law known as Senate Bill 8, has yet to say whether it will go that route after a federal appeals court reinstated the law late Friday. The latest twist came just two days after a lower court in Austin suspended the law, which bans abortions once cardiac activity is detected, usually around six weeks, before some women know they are pregnant. It makes no exceptions in cases of rape or incest.

The White House had no immediate comment Saturday.

For now at least, the law is in the hands of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which allowed the restrictions to resume pending further arguments. In the meantime, Texas abortions providers and patients are right back to where they’ve been for most of the last six weeks.

Out-of-state clinics already inundated with Texas patients seeking abortions were again the closest option for many women. Providers say others are being forced to carry pregnancies to term, or waiting in hopes that courts will strike down the law that took effect on Sept. 1.

There are also new questions — including whether anti-abortion advocates will try punishing Texas physicians who performed abortions during the brief window the law was paused from late Wednesday to late Friday. Texas leaves enforcement solely in the hands of private citizens who can collect $10,000 or more in damages if they successfully sue abortion providers who flout the restrictions.

Texas Right to Life, the state’s largest anti-abortion group, created a tip line to receive reports of violators. About a dozen calls came in after U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman suspended the law, said John Seago, the group’s legislative director.

Although some Texas clinics said they had briefly resumed abortions on patients who were beyond six weeks, Seago said his group had no lawsuits in the works. He said the clinics’ public statements did not “match up with what we saw on the ground,” which he says include a network of observers and crisis pregnancy centers.

“I don’t have any credible evidence at the moment of litigation that we would bring forward,” Seago said Saturday.

Texas had roughly two dozen abortion clinics before the law took effect. At least six clinics resumed performing abortions after six weeks of pregnancy during the reprieve, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights.

At Whole Woman’s Health, which has four abortion clinics in Texas, president and CEO Amy Hagstrom Miller said she did not have the number of abortions her locations performed for patients beyond six weeks but put it at “quite a few.” She said her clinics were again complying with the law and acknowledged the risks her physicians and staff had taken.

“Of course we are all worried,” she said. “But we also feel a deep commitment to providing abortion care when it is legal to do so, we did.”

Pitman, the federal judge who halted the Texas law Wednesday in a blistering 113-page opinion, was appointed by President Barack Obama. He called the law an “offensive deprivation” of the constitutional right to an abortion, but his ruling was swiftly set aside — at least for now — in a one-page order by the 5th Circuit that on Friday night.

That same appeals court previously allowed the Texas restrictions to take effect in September, in a separate lawsuit brought by abortion providers. This time, the court gave the Justice Department until 5 p.m. Tuesday to respond.

What happens after that is unclear, including how soon the appeals court will act or whether they will request more arguments. Texas is asking the appeals court for a permanent injunction that would allow the law to stand while the case plays out.

In the meantime, Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, urged the Supreme Court to “step in and stop this madness.” Last month, the high court allowed the law to move forward in a 5-4 decision, although it did so without ruling on the law’s constitutionality.

A 1992 decision by the Supreme Court prevented states from banning abortion before viability, the point at which a fetus can survive outside the womb, around 24 weeks of pregnancy. But Texas’ version has outmaneuvered courts due to its novel enforcement mechanism that leaves enforcement to private citizens and not prosecutors, which critics say amounts to a bounty.

The Biden administration could bring the case back to the Supreme Court and ask it to quickly restore Pitman’s order, although it is unclear whether they will do so.

“I’m not very optimistic about what could happen at the Supreme Court,” said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, about the Justice Department’s chances.

“But there’s not much downside either, right?” he said. “The question is, what’s changed since the last time they saw it? There is this full opinion, this full hearing before the judge and the record. So that may be enough.”

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