François Compaoré has been stuck in Ivory Coast for several weeks, according to a report by Jeune Afrique.
He had travelled to the country to visit his ill brother Blaise Compaoré, the former president of Burkina Faso who is now living in exile in Abidjan. However, he has been unable to return to France after his visa expired.
Compaoré, who has Ivorian naitonality, has been living in France for the past eight years. But he has so far failed to renew his visa with French authorities in Abidjan.
The 70 year old ‘s lawyer is François-Henri Briard, of the Paris law firm Briard. Back in November, Compaoré appealed to a French court hoping they would let him return, but his application was rejected.
According to a report cited by Jeune Afrique, Compaoré had put forward several arguments in his defence.
He argued that he needed to return to France to help take care of his son, stating that his son’s illness requires his to ”accompany him, ensure his medical follow-up, well-being and personal development, which his wife cannot take on alone.”
Compaoré also stated that he himself requires an operation that had been planned before he left France.
The judge, meanwhile, argued that Compaoré did not provide any documents to support his claims.
Compaoré’s team are gearing up to submit another request in the hopes that he can return to France.
Source: Africanews
