Burkina to reissue warrant for ousted leader Compaore

Abidjan (AFP) - Judges in Burkina Faso will reinstate an international arrest warrant for ex-president Blaise Compaore, who fled the country after a popular uprising in 2014, the military prosecutor said Friday.

They will also reinstate a warrant for the speaker of parliament in neighbouring Ivory Coast, Guillaume Soro, wanted over a short-lived coup in Burkina last year, prosecutor Colonel Norbert Koudougou told AFP.

The move came a day after the Court of Cassation cancelled the warrants for the two men and a number of others.

"The investigating judges will reissue the mandates," Koudougou said.

"We had made the request to correct a procedural mistake, that being done, we don't see any particular obstacle to these mandates being reinstated."

Chief prosecutor Armand Ouedraogo said Thursday the warrants had been cancelled over procedural irregularities, because they had been issued without first being formally requested by the state prosecution.

But he said they could be reissued at any time so long as proper procedure was followed.

Compaore has been living in Ivory Coast since he was overthrown in a popular uprising in October 2014 after ruling Burkina Faso with an iron fist for 27 years.

Burkinabe authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in December for his alleged role in the mysterious 1987 killing of his comrade, ex-president Thomas Sankara.

Separately, former Ivorian rebel leader and prime minister Soro is wanted by Burkina after telephone wiretaps allegedly revealed he supported a coup there last September.

The attempted coup was staged by crack troops from a presidential guard loyal to Compaore but was thwarted by street protesters and the army, which attacked the plotters' barracks.

At least 11 people were killed and more than 270 were injured in the demonstrations.