Burkina Faso Sees Its Version of Wikileaks After President’s Fall

Jakarta Globe – AFP, Nov 11, 2014

The regional council building stands tourist in Ziniaré on November 7, 2014. The
 town is the birthplace of deposed president of Burkina Faso, Blaise Compaoré.
(AFP Photo/Sebastien Rieussec)

Ouagadougou. In Burkino Faso’s version of WikiLeaks, enterprising advocates of transparency were selling the secret financial and legal papers of the toppled president’s family to anyone with a few francs to spare.

The sellers nearly yanked passersby off their motorcycles while shouting “black list!”, “the complete files!” in front of their source: the pillaged home of Francois Compaore in the capital Ouagadougou.

He is brother to ex-president Blaise Compaore, who was forced out after 27 years in power on October 31 by citizens outraged over his plans to extend his presidency in this poor west African state.

”It was all found at Francois’ house. We made copies that we’re selling so that the population can learn the truth about hundreds of unsolved cases,” Ali Sawadogo told AFP as he hawked the files for 500 CFA francs (80 euro cents, $1) a piece.

They include documents concerning two 1998 murders — one of a leading independent journalist — that implicated Francois Compaore until charges against him were dropped.

To the people of Burkina Faso, Francois Compaore is known as the “little president”, a political strongman and potential successor to his brother.

”He was an omnipresent, omnipotent man who had influence in administration, the business world and the army,” said Chrysogome Zougmore, president of the Burkinabe Movement for Human and Peoples’ Rights.

The documents include bank statements showing Francois Compaore’s personal account held 88 million CFA Francs (about 135,000 euros) — a fortune in a country where three-quarters of the 18 million residents are unemployed and most live off subsistence farming.  His brother Blaise’s birth certificate and his wife Salah’s pay stubs were also among the papers.

Another document purportedly by Burkina Faso’s intelligence service, stamped “confidential”, concerns the murders 16 years ago of Francois Compaore’s driver and a well-known journalist who turned up incinerated while investigating the chauffeur’s death.

The charred bodies of Norbert Zongo and three companions were found in a car, in an incident that triggered street protests by outraged pro-democracy advocates.

Francois Compaore was charged with “murder and harbouring the stolen body” of his driver David Ouedaogo, but the charges were later dropped and members of the presidential guard convicted.

In the journalist’s murder, lawyers for Zongo’s family alleged that the president’s brother was also involved but the only person ever charged was a former head of the president’s personal security team.

Receipts in the ream of documents appear to show that Francois Compaore paid the legal fees for this man,  and the case was ultimately dismissed in 2006 on grounds of lack of evidence.

”The big problem with these documents is whether they’re authentic,” said one of the Zongo family lawyers Prosper Farama, who said some seemed legitimate and others “bizarre”.

As after uprisings in Libya and Ukraine, the homes of Burkina Faso’s former elite have become a pilgrimage site for locals.

The massive swimming pool at Francois Compaore’s home became a popular spot for neighbourhood children after its owner fled.

The fact it has now been drained of its water hasn’t stopped the curious and treasure hunters from coming.

”I heard that there were three gold bars [in the pool] and that two had been picked up, but there was still one left,” said Jessica Ouedraogo, 23, posing for a photo in the empty pool.

”But there was nothing in there. Other people got here before me.”

There was still plenty to take: bathroom fixtures, electric plugs and even door frames. The sound of pounding was constant as looters, who had nearly picked the structure clean, were busy chiseling up the bathroom tiles.

Some justified their looting.

”It’s what he stole from us more than 27 years that we are now taking back,” said 23-year-old Georges, who gave only his first name as he yanked electric wires from the wall.

Agence France-Presse

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“… Here is another one. A change in what Human nature will allow for government. "Careful, Kryon, don't talk about politics. You'll get in trouble." I won't get in trouble. I'm going to tell you to watch for leadership that cares about you. "You mean politics is going to change?" It already has. It's beginning. Watch for it. You're going to see a total phase-out of old energy dictatorships eventually. The potential is that you're going to see that before 2013. They're going to fall over, you know, because the energy of the population will not sustain an old energy leader. Remember where you heard it... in a strange, esoteric meeting with a guy in a chair pretending to channel. [Kryon being factious... Kryon humor] Then when you hear it, you'll know better, won't you? "Maybe there was something really there," you'll say. "Maybe it was real," you'll say. Perhaps you can skip all the drama of the years to come and consider that now? [Kryon humor again]

These leaders are going to fall over. You'll have a slow developing leadership coming to you all over the earth where there is a new energy of caring about the public. "That's just too much to ask for in politics, Kryon." Watch for it. That's just the beginning of this last phase. So many things are coming. The next one is related to this, for a country in survival with sickness cannot sustain a leadership of high consciousness. There is just too much opportunity for power and greed. But when a continent is healed, everything changes. …”