On 15 October 1987, Thomas Sankara, the young president of Burkina Faso, was shot dead with twelve colleagues during a coup in Ouagadougou. His body was buried hastily in a cemetery on the edge of the capital. Thirty-five years later, in February 2023, Burkina Faso reburied him at a memorial site at the place where he was killed. The ceremony closed a long chapter of grief and anger for many Burkinabè and admirers of Sankara across Africa, who regard him as one of the continent’s most inspiring leaders.
Sankara and the trial
Sankara took power in 1983 and led a revolutionary government that promoted self-reliance, women’s rights, public health and anti-corruption measures. In 1984, he renamed the country from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso, meaning land of upright people. He was killed on 15 October 1987 in a coup that brought his former friend Blaise Compaoré to power. Compaoré ruled for 27 years until a popular uprising forced him out in 2014.
In 2015, the remains believed to be Sankara’s were exhumed for investigation. In 2021 and 2022, a military court tried those accused of the killing. In April 2022, Compaoré was convicted in absentia and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The reburial and the memorial
In February 2023, Sankara and his companions were reburied at the memorial site in Ouagadougou. Some relatives objected to the choice of the site where the killings took place. A memorial has been developed in Sankara’s honour, including a large statue. Sankara’s speeches and ideas remain popular with young people across Africa. Burkina Faso’s military leaders have invoked Sankara’s memory.
He is remembered for speeches against debt, imperialism and corruption. His four years in power continue to inspire debate about leadership in Africa.
Mourners and his style
Families of the men killed with Sankara had waited decades for answers about how their relatives died. The trial and reburial gave some of them a sense that the truth had finally been told, even if not everyone agreed with the ceremony. He was known for riding a bicycle, ordering officials to drive modest cars and wearing locally woven cotton.
Sankara was president for four years. More than thirty years after his death, Burkina Faso’s leaders still use his name to win support.
