After 27 years in the saddle, former Burkina Faso's imperial ruler, Blaise Compaoré, was recently forced out of power by a popular uprising against his aspiration to extend his reign over the landlocked country. As it is usual with sit -tight rulers like him, Compaoré fled the capital, Ouagadougou, to an unidentified destination.
Before his abrupt fall from power, excluding the years he spent as a military dictator, Compaoré had served two seven-year terms before a change to the constitution allowed him to serve another two five-year terms. It will be recalled that on October 15, 1987, Compaoré seized power in a coup that led to assassination of his former friend and one of Africa's most charismatic leaders, Thomas Sankara.
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