BURKINA FASO: Opposition leader arrested over alleged coup plot
OUAGADOUGOU, 22 October (IRIN) - The government of Burkina Faso has
arrested Norbert Tiendrebeogo, leader of the opposition Social Forces
Front (FFS) party, in connection with an alleged coup plot.
FFS deputy leader Brice Yogo told IRIN that Tiendrebeogo was summoned
to
the police headquarters for questioning on Monday and was subsequently
detained.
He was the 16th person to be arrested in connection with the alleged
plot
to overthrow President Blaise Campaore, and the first civilian leader.
Campaore has ruled this poor landlocked West African country since
1987.
Tiendrebeogo's FFS was founded by people close to the late president
Thomas Sankara, who was killed in the coup that brought Campaore to
power.
Earlier this month, 15 military personnel were arrested in connection
with
the alleged coup plot, one of whom subsequently died in custody. State
prosecutor Abdoulaye Barry said Sargent Moussa Kabore, who was born in
neighbouring Cote d'Ivoire, hanged himself in his cell on 8 October.
Barry said earlier this month that the coup plot was backed by a
neighbouring country, which he refused to name, which had provided the
conspirators with cash and had promised to deliver them weapons. He
said
the alleged mastermind of the plot, Captain Wally Luther Diapagri, had
held meetings with "key officials in Cote d'Ivoire and Togo in
September.
There is no love lost between the governments of Cote d'Ivoire and
Burkina
Faso. Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo has repeatedly accused Campaore
of
supporting rebels who have occupied the northern half of Cote d'Ivoire
for
the past 13 months.
Yogo said Tiendrebeogo was friendly with Captain Bayoulou Balibie, one
of
the alleged coup plotters who was arrested earlier this month, but he
stressed that the FFS was committed to the democratic process.
"We reaffirm that our party is definitely committed to the democratic
process and to the conquest of power through the ballot box," he said.
A coalition of opposition parties known as G14 has petitioned the
government to free Tiendrebeogo immediately. "[Arresting] our comrade
Norbert Tiendrebeogo is part of a vast campaign and manoeuvre to
destabilise and intimidate the opposition in Burkina Faso," it said in
a
statement.
The Burkina Faso Movement for Human and People's Rights (MBDHP) has
meanwhile complained that many of those detained have now been held
without charge for more than 20 days, far longer than the three days
allowed by law.