Sankara, a charismatic Marxist revolutionary often referred to as ‘Africa’s Che Guevara’, was assassinated during a coup led by his former friend Compaore.
A military tribunal on Tuesday charged Compaore with complicity in the assassination, undermining state security and receiving corpses, according to a court document seen by Reuters.
Compaore’s former right-hand man, General Gilbert Diendere, has also been charged with several crimes related to the murder of Sankara, including complicity in the assassination.
Diendere, who has been in jail since the failed coup in 2015, was in court to hear the charges. He will later file a plea.
Burkina Faso issued an arrest warrant for Compaore in 2015, but the Ivory Coast refused to hand him over.
Sankara, who took power at the age of 33 during a 1983 coup, was known for his military fatigue and red beret and his rejection of a lavish lifestyle.
In four years as president, he became the first leader in Africa to expose the threat of AIDS, took a stand against the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and promoted the rights of women by opposing female genital mutilation. and oppose polygamy.