OUAGADOUGOU, Mar 31 (AGCNewsNet) – Burkina Faso’s military leader, Captain Ibrahim Traore, has pardoned 21 soldiers convicted of involvement in a failed coup attempt in 2015, according to an official decree released last week.

The decree, which was seen by AFP on Monday, follows an "amnesty pardon" Traore announced in December 2024 for several individuals convicted over the 2015 coup attempt against the transitional government that had replaced ousted President Blaise Compaoré.

The amnesty covers six officers, including two former unit commanders of the disbanded presidential guard, along with 15 non-commissioned officers and rank-and-file soldiers. The 21 soldiers had been convicted in a 2019 military tribunal for offenses such as "harming state security," murder, or treason.

However, two key figures behind the coup attempt, General Gilbert Diendéré, Compaoré’s former chief of staff, and former Foreign Minister Djibril Bassolé, were not included in the amnesty. Diendéré and Bassolé had been sentenced to 20 and 10 years in prison, respectively.

The decree stipulates that the pardoned soldiers must "demonstrate a patriotic commitment to the reconquest of the territory" and "express their willingness to actively participate in the fight against terrorism." The soldiers will rejoin Burkina Faso’s army, which has been battling jihadist insurgents linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group for over a decade.

Despite their reinstatement, the pardoned soldiers will not be eligible for compensation or career progression.

Diendéré and Bassolé led the September 2015 coup attempt against the transitional government installed after Compaoré’s departure in October 2014, following a popular uprising that ended his 27-year rule. Loyalist forces swiftly suppressed the coup within two weeks, resulting in 14 deaths and 270 injuries.

In December 2024, Burkina Faso’s justice ministry announced plans to pardon around 1,200 individuals convicted in connection with the coup attempt, with the amnesty set to take effect from January 1, 2025.

Stay connected with AGC NewsNet for the latest news from Africa.