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We wrote in our columns, Monday, July 23 that General Djibrill Bassolé, under house arrest in the setting of the failed coup, had been banned from game of petanque. Which must have caused a certain misunderstanding within the national opinion. We had the opportunity to snatch this interview for his version of the facts. And the occasion making the thief, we asked him a number of questions about the current trial and the new Electoral Code submitted today to the vote of the deputies.
"The Country": How have you been under house arrest for a few months?
Djibrill Bassolé (DB): The house arrest totally emptied of its substance the decision of the judge to grant me a provisional liberty in view of the state of my judicial file. Despite the incomprehensible abuses and privations that far exceed the demands of the judicial process, I place my trust in God. The trials of life are made for each of us. They must not shake our faith and beliefs
It appears that you have been banned from playing petanque. True or false?
That's right, alas! It is still unfortunately the umpteenth arbitrary and totally incomprehensible measure that is taken against me. I remind you that I am prevented from having access to appropriate health care despite the advice of the doctors and the decision of the Trial Chamber of Investigation to release me temporarily so that I can treat myself properly. I am forbidden to have access to the internet, to practice walking on foot inside the security perimeter and today I can not even play bowling in the courtyard of the residence. Playing sports is a right, but I do not have rights anymore. My existence has been marked for almost three years by this kind of arbitrary and meaningless decision.
How did you accept the reaction of the military prosecutor to this information relayed by the press?
I have not received any explanation regarding this ban on practicing the sport of my choice in the compound of my house arrest. I do not believe that the military prosecutor is involved in this case. In any case, I have informed my lawyers who will advise me on the best course of action to preserve my most basic rights, especially those relating to my physical health.
Compared to the trial of the failed coup, at the bar, some defendants seem to push you further. How do you react to that?
I would have liked to give you some explanations but out of respect for the Tribunal which will soon receive my testimony on this subject, I can not do it before being heard at the bar. However, I reiterate my innocence as my lawyers and I have always claimed since the beginning of the procedure hypermedia on purpose. We will of course have the opportunity to demonstrate and prove to the court and the people of Burkina Faso our innocence and the obvious manipulation of this file in a general way.
Do not you fear condemnation, even if you say that you are serene?
The most important thing in these cases is to be able to explain oneself publicly. The Tribunal, national and international opinion will appreciate
It appears that you had a fifth column within the former RSP; testify the statements of Koussoubé Roger said the Touareg. What exactly is it?
Whoever made these statements will certainly explain to you better than I do. I can only say that the various functions I had to occupy in the field of security and even Foreign Affairs, led me to collaborate with the RSP which I welcome in passing the technical and professional skills. That said, the fifth column you're talking about is totally unknown to me. You know, this is not the first charge I'm facing. You will remember that the Transition government officially and publicly accused me of organizing terrorist attacks, mobilizing foreign forces to attack Burkina Faso, and so on. All I have to do is ask you to follow the progress of the trial. All these allegations without any real foundation, will be publicly debated and you will make your own opinion. What is reproached to the RSP through the trial of the failed putsch, would not have happened if the political actors, in the aftermath of the insurrection and the hasty departure of President Compaore, had designated civilians to lead the organs of the Transition . I sincerely believe that the RSP would not have taken the liberty of removing the Prime Minister and interrupting a Council of Ministers. The political mistake of which we are all responsible, be it the political class, the military leaders and the civil society, is precisely to have accepted that an element of the RSP directs the executive of the Transition. All the problems came from there. The RSP is a body of our Army that has done tremendous service to the Nation but also has been at the heart of many political unrest since the Revolution, through the business of David Ouedraogo, the mutinies of 2011, to the management of the Transition. The coup de force of September 16, 2015 was the foreseeable consequence of the decision to entrust the reins of power to an element of this PSR already plagued by difficulties of all kinds. You will notice that the disruption of the Council of Ministers of September 16 was, in fact, the fourth serious incident that we recorded in less than a year. The trial will be for me also the opportunity to explain things as I I lived. It is now important to understand and save what remains of the cohesion and operational character of our Army.
During his visit to France, the President of the National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire, Guillaume Soro Alain Foka's response to his alleged involvement in the failed putsch did not wish to argue about the diplomatic resolution of the dossier between the two heads of state. And Burkina's foreign minister, Alpha Barry, reacting on a national-level channel to these remarks suggested that: "it is the consequences of the arrest warrant that have undergone a diplomatic resolution and not the mandate. himself ". What is your reading of this statement?
I can not tell you anything about it for the good reason that I have not been associated with any diplomatic approach. As far as I am concerned, I will focus with the assistance of my lawyers to decline any criminal responsibility in this judicial file despite all the political and media hype that has been deliberately orchestrated in particular against Guillaume Soro and myself. My most ardent wish is that this painful episode does not durably affect the excellent relations that unite Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso and that deserve to be consolidated for the greater good of our people.
How did you perceive the decision of the Court of Cassation of Burkina Faso which has just rejected the motion for the disqualification of Judge Seydou Ouedraogo and his counselor?
I understand and I share the concern of our lawyers signatories of these various requests. Their ultimate goal is to guarantee a fair trial through genuine independence of the judiciary and judges. It is precisely by virtue of these republican values that judgments are to be judged. In any event and having previously expressed through our lawyers our motivated concerns, we are now focusing on publicly debating what is being blamed on us. The different national and supranational courts will judge and public opinion will appreciate.
The political news is animated by the vote of the diaspora, especially the modification of the Electoral Code with the exclusion of those with the consular card, you who have been Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation, what is your assessment on the question?
For the moment, I will be careful not to make a long development, but the question of Burkinabè voting abroad and inclusive and credible elections are matters of concern. We must convince ourselves of the imperative need to involve the Burkinabè of the diaspora in the dynamics of building a strong and prosperous nation that radiates beyond our borders. In my previous position, as you indicated, I took care of the operationalization of the Burkinabè vote abroad in collaboration with the CENI. Measures of an administrative and technical nature had been taken and nothing in the meantime prevented the vote of our compatriots living abroad in 2015.
In my humble opinion, there are questions of interest which must know how to place above political calculations and partisan interests. The vote of Burkinabe from outside with their consular card, are part of it. The operation we undertook in 2012 would have made it possible to properly identify our compatriots living abroad, to create reliable and modern databases particularly useful for the administrative and diplomatic management of our diaspora. It is through consular management of quality that we will have a strong and respected diaspora.
I will explain to you on a future occasion the strategy that was ours to make the vote of our compatriots from abroad and the issue a secure consular card a powerful lever for the vitality of our diaspora. The operation, for example, of issuing consular cards in Côte d'Ivoire did not cost the State of Burkina Faso a cent. On the contrary, it will have made it possible to start the construction of the Maison du Burkina in Abidjan and to donate money to the Burkina Faso Treasury. In any case, to exclude the consular vote of the Burkinabe from the outside, seems to me a strategic mistake.
Interview by Drissa TRAORE
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