The leader of the junta in Burkina Faso has granted clemency to 21 soldiers who were found guilty of being involved in a failed coup in 2015, according to an official decree on Monday.
Since September 2022, the West African nation has been governed by military officials following a coup led by Captain Ibrahim Traore.
In December last year, Traore announced an “amnesty pardon” for several individuals convicted in connection with the 2015 attempt to overthrow the transitional government established after the ousting of former president Blaise Compaore.
Six officers, including two former unit leaders of the presidential guard, 15 non-commissioned officers, and regular soldiers, are included in the pardon. These individuals were sentenced at a military tribunal in Ouagadougou in 2019 for charges including “harming state security,” murder, or treason.
Two generals, Gilbert Diendere and Djibril Bassole, who were viewed as the architects of the failed coup, received prison sentences of 20 years and 10 years, respectively. They have not been included in the amnesty, and the convicted soldiers have until June to apply for a pardon.
To do so, they must “show a patriotic commitment to reclaiming the territory” and “express their readiness to actively engage in the fight against terrorism.”
The 21 soldiers who received pardons will return to the military, which has been combating jihadist factions associated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State for over a decade.
However, the decree specifies they will not qualify for compensation or career advancement.
Diendere and Bassole attempted to overthrow the transitional government established after Compaore was ousted in October 2014 due to a 27-year-long popular uprising.
Loyalist forces were able to suppress the coup attempt within two weeks. Fourteen people lost their lives, and 270 others were injured.
In December, the justice ministry announced that approximately 1,200 individuals convicted of crimes related to the coup attempt would receive pardons starting January 1.
