Norbert Zongo case sees new appeal after Court of Appeal decision
The Norbert Zongo case has seen a new development, with a cassation appeal filed on July 31, 2026, by the lawyer for one of the accused. This follows the Ouagadougou Court of Appeal's confirmation on July 30, 2026, of the referral of three defendants for trial. Public prosecutor Désiré Sawadogo announced this on August 13, 2026. The instruction judge of Ouaga I High Court had previously ordered on March 17, 2025, that Wanga Christophe Combasséré, Banagoulo Yaro, and Paul François Compaoré be tried for assassination, aggravated voluntary destruction of property, complicity in these acts, and incitement to commit assassination. Their appeal against this order was rejected by the Court of Appeal. The cassation appeal by Me Paul Kéré, counsel for Mr. Yaro, opens a new judicial stage. The public prosecutor assures that Burkinabe justice is working for a diligent outcome, respecting legal principles. Norbert Zongo, an investigative journalist, writer, and editor, was found dead with three companions on December 13, 1998, their vehicle burned. He was investigating the death of David Ouédraogo, driver for François Compaoré, brother of former President Blaise Compaoré.
