 A Burkina Faso court has charged former president Blaise Campari in absentia in connection with the 1987 murder of the then-president Thomas Sankara, one of the most infamous killings in Africa's post-independence history. Sankara, a charismatic massist revolutionary often called Africa's Che Guevara, was assassinated during a coup led by his former friend Campari. Burkina Faso's former president Blaise Campari has been charged in absentia in relation to the 1987 murder of his predecessor Thomas Sankara. It's one of the most infamous killings in Africa's post-independence history. Sankara, a charismatic, massist revolutionary often known as Africa's Che Guevara, was assassinated during a coup led by his former friend Campari. Campari then went on to rule Burkina Faso for 27 years. He was ousted in a 2014 uprising and fled to Ivory Coast where he is believed to still live. He's previously denied involvement in Sankara's death. Sankara remains a hero for many in West Africa. He ruled Burkina Faso for four years, having seized power in a 1983 coup. In that time he became the first leader to denounce the menace of AIDS, took a stand against the International Monetary Fund and World Bank and promoted women's rights. On Tuesday a military tribunal charged Campari with complicity in Sankara's assassination, undermining state security and receiving cadavers. That's according to a court document seen by Reuters. Campari's former right-hand man Gen. Gilbert Diandere was also charged with several crimes including complicity in the assassination. Diandere, who has been in prison since a failed coup in 2015, was in court to hear the charges and will enter a plea later. Burkina Faso issued an arrest warrant for Campari in 2015 but Ivory Coast has declined to hand him over.