Thomas Sankara

Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara(French pronunciation:[tɔmɑizidɔʁnɔɛlsɑ̃kaʁa]; 21 December 1949 – 15 October 1987) was a Burkinabè military officer,Marxistrevolutionary andPan-Africanistwho becamePresident of Burkina Fasofrom1983,when he took over in a coup, untilhis assassination in 1987.
After being appointedPrime Ministerin 1983, disputes with the sitting government led to Sankara's eventual imprisonment. While he was underhouse arrest, a group ofrevolutionariesseized power on his behalf in a popularly-supportedcouplater that year.
At the age of 33, Sankara became the President of theRepublic of Upper Voltaand launched an unprecedented series of social, ecological, and economic reforms. In1984, Sankara oversaw the renaming of the country toBurkina Faso('Land of Incorruptible People'), and personally wrote its national anthem. The renaming lead to its people being calledBurkinabé('upright people').His foreign policy was centred onanti-imperialismand he rejected loans and capital from organizations such as theInternational Monetary Fund. However, he welcomed some foreign aid in an effort to boost the domestic economy, diversify the sources of assistance, and make Burkina Fasoself-sufficient.
His domestic policies includedfamineprevention, agrarian expansion,land reform, and suspending ruralpoll taxes, as well as a nationwide literacy campaign andvaccinationprogram to reducemeningitis,yellow feverandmeasles. Sankara's health programmes distributed millions of doses of vaccines to children across Burkina Faso.His government also focused on building schools, health centres, water reservoirs, and infrastructure projects.He combatteddesertificationof theSahelby planting more than 10 million trees.Socially, his government enforced the prohibition offemale circumcision,forced marriagesandpolygamy.Sankara reinforced hispopulistimage by ordering the sale of luxury vehicles and properties owned by the government in order to reduce costs. In addition, he banned what he considered the luxury ofair conditioningin government offices, and homes of politicians.He established Cuban-inspiredCommittees for the Defence of the Revolutionto serve as a new foundation of society and promote popular mobilization.HisPopular Revolutionary Tribunalsprosecuted public officials charged withgraft, political crimesand corruption, considering such elements of the statecounter-revolutionaries.This led to criticism byAmnesty Internationalfor alleged human rights violations, such as arbitrary detentions of political opponents.
Sankara's revolutionary programmes and reforms for African self-reliance made him an icon to many of Africa's poverty-stricken nations,and the president remained popular with a substantial majority of his country's citizens, as well as those outside Burkina Faso.Some of his policies alienated elements of the former ruling class, includingtribal leaders— and the governments ofFranceand its ally, theIvory Coast.
On 15 October1987, Sankara was assassinated by troops led byBlaise Compaoré, who assumed leadership of the country shortly thereafter. Compaoré retained power until the2014 Burkina Faso uprising. In2021, he was formally charged with and found guilty for the murder of Sankara by amilitary tribunal.
Thomas Sankara was born Thomas Isidore Noël Sankaraon 21 December1949inYako,French Upper Volta, as the third of ten children to Joseph andMarguerite Sankara. His father,Joseph Sankara, agendarme,was ofSilmi–Mossiheritage, while his mother, Marguerite Kinda, was of directMossidescent.He spent his early years inGaoua, a town in the humid southwest to which his father was transferred as an auxiliary gendarme. As the son of one of the few African functionaries then employed by the colonial state, he enjoyed a relatively privileged position. The family lived in a brick house with the families of other gendarmes at the top of a hill overlooking the rest of Gaoua.
Sankara attended primary school atBobo-Dioulasso. He applied himself seriously to his schoolwork and excelled in mathematics and French. He went to church often and, impressed with his energy and eagerness to learn, some of the priests encouraged Thomas to go on toseminaryschool once he finished primary school. Despite initially agreeing, he took the exam required for entry to the sixth grade in the secular educational system and passed. Thomas's decision to continue with his education at the nearestlycée,Ouezzin Coulibaly(named after a pre-independencenationalist), proved to be a turning point. He left his father's household to attend the lycée inBobo-Dioulasso, the country's commercial centre. There Sankara made close friends, includingFidèle Too, whom he later named a minister in his government; andSoumane Touré, who was in a more advanced class.
HisRoman Catholicparents wanted him to become a priest, but he chose to enter themilitary. The military was popular at the time, having just oustedMaurice Yaméogo, an unpopular president. Many young intellectuals viewed it as a national institution that might potentially help to discipline the inefficient and corrupt bureaucracy, counterbalance the inordinate influence of traditional chiefs, and generally help modernize the country. Acceptance into the military academy was accompanied by a scholarship; Sankara could not easily afford the costs of further education otherwise. He took the entrance exam and passed.
He entered the military academy ofKadiogoinOuagadougouwith the academy's first intake of 1966 at the age of 17.While there he witnessedthe first military coup d'état in Upper Voltaled by Lieutenant-ColonelSangoulé Lamizana(3 January 1966). The trainee officers were taught by civilian professors in the social sciences.Adama Touré, who taught history and geography, was the academic director at the time and known for having progressive ideas, although he did not publicly share them. He invited a few of his brightest and more political students, among them Sankara, to join informal discussions outside the classroom aboutimperialism,neocolonialism,socialismandcommunism, theSovietandChinese revolutions, theliberation movementsin Africa, and similar topics. This was the first time Sankara was systematically exposed to a revolutionary perspective on Upper Volta and the world. Aside from his academic and extracurricular political activities, Sankara also pursued his passion for music and played the guitar.
In 1970, 20-year-old Sankara went for further military studies at the military academy ofAntsirabeinMadagascar, from which he graduated as a junior officer in 1973. At the Antsirabe academy, the range of instruction went beyond standard military subjects, which allowed Sankara to studyagriculture, including how to raise crop yields and better the lives of farmers. He took up these issues in his own administration and country.During that period, he read profusely on history and military strategy, thus acquiring the concepts and analytical tools that he would later use in his reinterpretation of Burkinabe political history.
After his basic military training in secondary school in 1966, Sankara began his military career at the age of 19. A year later he was sent to Madagascar for officer training atAntsirabe, where he witnessed popular uprisings in 1971 and 1972 against the government ofPhilibert Tsiranana. During this period he first read the works ofKarl MarxandVladimir Lenin, which profoundly influenced his political views for the rest of his life.
Returning to Upper Volta in 1972, he fought in a border war between Upper Volta and Mali by 1974. He earned fame for his performance in the conflict, but years later would renounce the fighting as 'useless and unjust', a reflection of his growingpolitical consciousness.He also became a popular figure in the capital ofOuagadougou. Sankara was a decent guitarist. He played in a band namedTout-à-Coup Jazzand rode a bicycle.
In 1976 he became commander of the Commando Training Centre inPô. During the presidency of ColonelSaye Zerbo, a group of young officers formed a secret organization calledROC, the best-known members beingHenri Zongo,Jean-Baptiste Boukary Lingani,Blaise Compaoréand Sankara.
Sankara was appointed Minister of Information in Saye Zerbo's military government in September 1981.Sankara differentiated himself from other government officials in many ways such as biking to work everyday, instead of driving in a car. While his predecessors would censor journalists and newspapers, Sankara encouraged investigative journalism and allowed the media to print whatever it found.This led to publications of government scandals by both privately owned and state-owned newspapers.He resigned on 12 April 1982 in opposition to what he saw as the regime's anti-labour drift, declaring 'Misfortune to those who gag the people!' (Malheur à ceux qui bâillonnent le peuple!).
Afteranother coup(7 November 1982) brought to power Major-DoctorJean-Baptiste Ouédraogo, Sankara became Prime Minister in January 1983. But he was dismissed a few months later, on 17 May. During those four months, Sankara pushed Ouédraogo's regime for more progressive reforms.Sankara was arrested after the French President's African affairs adviser,Guy Penne[fr], met with Col. Yorian Somé.Henri Zongo and Jean-Baptiste Boukary Lingani were also placed under arrest. The decision to arrest Sankara proved to be very unpopular with the younger officers in the military regime. His imprisonment created enough momentum for his friend Blaise Compaoré to lead another coup.
Acoup d'étatorganized by Blaise Compaoré made Sankara President on 4 August 1983 at the age of 33. The coup d'état was supported byLibya, which was at the time on the verge of war with France inChad(seehistory of Chad).
Sankara identified as a revolutionary and was inspired by the examples of Cuba'sFidel CastroandChe Guevara, and Ghana's military leaderJerry Rawlings.As President, he promoted the 'Democratic and Popular Revolution' (Révolution démocratique et populaire, or RDP). The ideology of the Revolution was defined by Sankara asanti-imperialistin a speech on 2 October 1983, theDiscours d'orientation politique(DOP),written by his close associateValère Somé. His policy was oriented toward fighting corruption and promoting reforestation.
On 4 August 1984, the first anniversary of his accession, he renamed the country Burkina Faso, meaning 'the land of upright people' inMooréandDyula, the two major languages of the country. He also gave it a new flag and wrote a new national anthem (Ditanyè).
When Sankara assumed power on 4 August, he named the leadership of the country the Council of the Revolution (CNR). This was a way for Sankara to signal that he was going to try for political and social change. The CNR composed of both civilians and soldiers, all ordinary people. But the member count was secret for security reasons and known only to Sankara and others in his inner circle.
The CNR regularly met to talk about important plans and decisions for the country. They helped give advice and direction to the government's actions. They voted on suggestions and decisions from governments officials; the decision making wascollective. On some occasions, they overruled even proposals favoured personally by Sankara.
Sankara's first priorities after taking office were feeding, housing, and providing medical care to his people who desperately needed it. He launched a mass vaccination program aimed at eradicatingpolio,meningitis, andmeasles. From 1983 to 1985, 2 million Burkinabé were vaccinated, significantly improving public health outcomes.
Prior to Sankara's presidency, the infant mortality rate in Burkina Faso was about 20.8%. During his time in office, it fell to 14.5%, highlighting the effectiveness of his health initiatives.His administration was also the first African government to publicly recognize theAIDS epidemicas a major threat to Africa, showcasing his forward-thinking approach to public health.
In addition to healthcare, Sankara focused on large-scale housing and infrastructure projects. He established brick factories to help build houses and reduce urban slums. This initiative provided affordable housing and created jobs, contributing to economic stability.
To combat deforestation, Sankara initiated "The People's Harvest of Forest Nurseries," supplying 7,000 village nurseries and organizing the planting of several million trees. This reforestation effort not only aimed to restore the environment but also to create sustainable agricultural practices. His administration connected all regions of the country through an extensive road and rail-building program. Over 700 km (430 mi) of rail was laid by Burkinabé people, facilitating manganese extraction in 'The Battle of the Rails,' without any foreign aid or outside money. These initiatives demonstrated his belief that African countries could achieve prosperity without foreign assistance.
Sankara also prioritized education to combat the country's 90% illiteracy rate. His administration implemented successful education programs, resulting in significant improvements in literacy. After his assassination, teachers' strikes and the new regime's unwillingness to negotiate led to the creation of 'Revolutionary Teachers.' In 1996, nearly 2,500 teachers were fired due to a strike, prompting the government to invite anyone with a college degree to teach through the revolutionary teachers' program. Volunteers received a 10-day training course before starting to teach.
In the 1980s, more than 90% of the populace were still agrarian farmers. Less than 6 percent of land that could beirrigatedwas receiving irrigation, while the rest relied on rain, which was highly unreliable and inadequate. Only 10% of the population had animals for plowing, whilst the rest relied on individual use of short hoes to plow. Fewlivestock herdershad access tofodder; they had to roam the countryside in search of grazing land and watering spots. Because of this, hunger remained prevalent. In years of drought, the rural population was threatened by famines.
In Sankara's five-year plan, some 71% of projected investments for the productive sectors were allocated to agriculture, livestock, fishing, wildlife and forests. In 3 years, 25% more land was irrigated because of volunteer projects. In Sourou Valley, adamwas built within a few months almost entirely by volunteer labour. The use of fertilizers increased by 56%. Hundreds of tractors were bought and imported for large-scale cooperative projects.
Hundreds of village cereal banks were built through collective labour organised by the CDRs to help farmers store and market their crops. In the past, farmers would have no way to store surplus grains and had to sell them to local merchants, who would sell the same crops back to the same village for twice the cost.
In August 1984, all land wasnationalized. Previously, local chiefs had decided who could farm. In some areas, private land ownership had begun to arise. The total cereal production rose by 75% between 1983 and 1986.In four years, UN-analysts declared Burkinian agriculture as productive enough to be "food self-sufficient".
In the 1980s, when ecological awareness was still very low, Thomas Sankara was one of the few leaders to consider environmental protection a priority. He engaged in three major battles: againstbush fires, 'which will be considered as crimes and will be punished as such'; againstcattle roaming, 'which infringes on the rights of peoples because unattended animals destroy nature'; and against the chaotic cutting of firewood, 'whose profession will have to be organized and regulated'.
As part of a development program involving a large part of the population, ten million trees were planted in Burkina Faso in fifteen months during the 'revolution'. To face the advancing desert and recurrent droughts, Thomas Sankara also proposed planting wooded strips of about fifty kilometers, crossing the country from east to west. He thought of extending this vegetation belt to other countries.
Beginning in October 1984, over the space of fifteen months Sankara's government planted ten million trees in a campaign ofreforestation. Sankara said "In Burkina wood is our only source of energy. We have to constantly remind every individual of his duty to maintain and regenerate nature".
Shortly after attaining power, Sankara constructed a system of courts known as thePopular Revolutionary Tribunal. The courts were created originally to try former government officials in a straightforward way so the averageBurkinabécould participate in or oversee trials of enemies of the revolution.They placed defendants on trial for corruption, tax evasion, or counter-revolutionary activity. Sentences for former government officials were light and often suspended. The tribunals have been alleged to have been onlyshow trials,held very openly with oversight from the public.
According to theUS State Department, procedures in these trials, especially legal protections for the accused, did not conform to international standards. Defendants had to prove themselves innocent of the crimes they were charged with committing and were not allowed to be represented by counsel.The courts were initially highly admired by the Burkinabé people but were eventually labeled corrupt and oppressive. So-called 'lazy workers' were tried and sentenced to work for free, or expelled from their jobs and discriminated against. Some created their own courts to settle scores and humiliate their enemies.
TheCommittees for the Defence of the Revolution(Comités de Défense de la Révolution or CDRs) were formed as mass armed organizations. The CDRs were created as a counterweight to the power of the army as well as to promote political and social revolution. The idea for the Revolutionary Defence Committees was taken from Cuban leader Fidel Castro, whoseCommittees for the Defence of the Revolutionhad been created as a form of 'revolutionary vigilance'.
A point of contention regarding Sankara's rule is the way he handled theMossi ethnic group. The Mossi are the largest ethnic group in Burkina Faso, and they adhere to a strict, traditional, hierarchical social systems.At the top of the hierarchy is theMorho Naba, the chief or king of the Mossi people. Sankara viewed this arrangement as an obstacle to national unity, and proceeded to demote the Mossi elite. The Morho Naba was not allowed to hold courts. Local village chiefs were stripped of their executive powers, which were given to the CDR.
Sankara had extensively worked for women's rights and declared "There is no true social revolution without the liberation of women".
Improving women's status in Burkinabé society was one of Sankara's explicit goals, and his government included a large number of women, an unprecedented policy priority in West Africa. His government bannedfemale genital mutilation,forced marriagesandpolygamy, while appointing women to high governmental positions and encouraging them to work outside the home and stay in school even if pregnant.Sankara promotedcontraceptionand in 1986 all restrictions on contraception were removed.He also established a Ministry of Family Development and the Union of Burkina Women.
Sankara recognized the challenges faced by African women when he gave his famous address to markInternational Women's Dayon 8 March 1987 in Ouagadougou. Sankara spoke to thousands of women, saying that the Burkinabé Revolution was 'establishing new social relations', which would be 'upsetting the relations of authority between men and women and forcing each to rethink the nature of both. This task is formidable but necessary'.In addition to being the first African leader to appoint women to major cabinet positions, he recruited themactively for the military.
Following the 1974 clashes between Burkina Faso and Mali over the disputed territory of the Agacher Strip, theOrganization of African Unityhad created a mediation commission to resolve the disagreement and provide for an independent, neutral demarcation of the border. Both governments had declared that they would not use armed force to end the dispute.
But by 1983 the two countries disagreed about the work of the commission.Sankara personally disliked Malian PresidentMoussa Traoré, who had taken power by deposingModibo Keïta's left-leaning regime.On 17 September Sankara visited Mali and met with Traoré. With Algerian mediation, the two agreed to have the border dispute settled by theInternational Court of Justice(ICJ) and subsequently petitioned the body to resolve the issue.
In July 1985 Burkina Faso declared the Malian secretary general of theEconomic Community of West Africa, Drissa Keita, apersona non grataafter he criticized Sankara's regime. In September Sankara delivered a speech in which he called for a revolution in Mali. Malian leaders were particularly sensitive to the inflammatory rhetoric, as their country was undergoing social unrest.Around the same time, Sankara and other key figures in the CNR became convinced that Traoré was harbouring opposition to the Burkinabé regime inBamakoand plotting to provoke a border war, which would be used to support a counterrevolution.
Tensions at the border began to rise on 24 November when one Burkinabé national killed another near the border inSoum Province. Malian police crossed the boundary to arrest the murderer and also detained several members of a local Committee for the Defence of the Revolution who were preparing a tribunal. Three days later Malian police entered Kounia to 'restore order'. Burkina Faso made diplomatic representations on the incidents to Mali, but was given no formal response.
At the beginning of December, Burkina Faso informed Mali and other surrounding countries that it was conducting its decennial national census from 10 to 20 December.On 14 December military personnel entered the Agacher to assist with the census. Mali accused the military authorities of pressuring Malian citizens in border villages to register with the census, a charge which Burkina Faso disputed.In an attempt to reduce tensions, ANAD (a West African treaty organization) dispatched a delegation to Bamako and Ouagadougou to mediate. President of AlgeriaChadli Bendjedidcontacted Sankara and Traoré to encourage a peaceful resolution.At the request of ANAD members, Burkina Faso announced the withdrawal of all military personnel from the disputed region.
Despite the declared withdrawal, a 'war of the communiques' ensued as Burkinabé and Malian authorities exchanged hostile messages.Feeling threatened by Sankara, Traoré began preparing Mali for hostilities with Burkina Faso. Threegroupementswere formed and planned to invade Burkina Faso and converge on the city ofBobo-Dioulasso. Once there, they would rally Burkinabé opposition forces to take Ouagadougou and overthrow Sankara.
Former Sankara aide Paul Michaud wrote that Sankara had intended to provoke Mali into conflict with the aim of mobilizing popular support for his regime. According to Michaud, "an official—and reliable—Malian source" had reported thatmobilizationdocuments dating to 19 December were found on the bodies of fallen Burkinabé soldiers during the ensuing war.
Sankara's efforts to provide evidence of his bona fides were systematically undermined. 'It is hard to believe that the Malian authorities are unaware that the rumors circulating are false,' says U.S. AmbassadorLeonardo Neher. In contrast to Michaud's assertion, a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) cable states, 'The war was born of Bamako's hope that the conflict would trigger a coup in Burkina Faso.'
At dawn on 25 December 1985, about 150Malian Armytanks crossed the frontier and attacked several locations. Malian troops also attempted to envelop Bobo-Dioulasso in apincerattack. The Burkina Faso Army struggled to repel the offensive in the face of superior Malian firepower and were overwhelmed on the northern front;Malian forces quickly secured the towns of Dionouga, Selba, Kouna, and Douna in the Agacher.The Burkinabé government in Ouagadougou received word of hostilities at about 13:00 and immediately issued mobilization orders. Various security measures were also imposed across the country, including nighttimeblackouts.
Burkinabé forces regrouped in the Dionouga area tocounter-attack.Captain Compaoré took command of this western front. Under his leadership soldiers split into small groups and employedguerrilla tacticsagainst Malian tanks.
Immediately after hostilities began, other African leaders attempted to institute a truce.On the morning of 30 December, Burkina Faso and Mali agreed to an ANAD-brokered ceasefire.By then Mali had occupied most of the Agacher Strip.More than 100 Burkinabé and approximately 40 Malian soldiers and civilians were killed during the war.The Burkinabé towns of Ouahigouya, Djibo, and Nassambou were left badly damaged by the fighting.
At an ANAD summit inYamoussoukroon 17 January 1987, Traoré and Sankara metand formalized an agreement to end hostilities.The ICJ later split the Agacher; Mali received the more-densely populated western portion and Burkina Faso the eastern section centred on theBéli River.Both countries indicated their satisfaction with the judgement.
Burkina Faso declared that the war was part of an 'international plot' to bring down Sankara's government. It rejected speculation that it was fought over rumoured mineral wealth in the Agacher.The country's relatively poor performance in the conflict damaged the domestic credibility of the CNR.Some Burkinabé soldiers were angered by Sankara's failure to prosecute the war more aggressively and rally a counteroffensive against Mali.
The conflict also demonstrated the country's weak international position and forced the CNR to craft a more moderate image of its policies and goals abroad. In the aftermath, the Burkinabé government made little reference to supporting revolution in other countries,and its relations with France modestly improved.At a rally held after the war, Sankara conceded that his country's military was not adequately armed and announced the commutation of sentences for numerous political prisoners.
Thomas Sankara defined his program as anti-imperialist. In this respect,Francebecame the main target of revolutionary rhetoric. When PresidentFrançois Mitterrandvisited Burkina Faso in November 1986, Sankara criticized the French for having receivedPieter Botha, thePrime Minister of South Africa, which still enforcedapartheid; andJonas Savimbi, the leader ofUNITA, in France, referring to both men as 'covered in blood from head to toe'. In response, France reduced its economic aid to Burkina Faso by 80% between 1983 and 1985.
Guy Penne[fr], President Mitterrand's advisor on African affairs, organized a media campaign in France to denigrate Thomas Sankara in collaboration with theDGSE. It provided the press with a series of documents on supposed atrocities intended to feed  articles against him.
Sankara set up a program of cooperation withCuba. After meeting withFidel Castro, Sankara arranged to send young Burkinabés to Cuba in September 1986 to receive professional training and to participate in the country's development upon their return. These were volunteers recruited on the basis of a competition; priority was given to orphans and young people from rural and disadvantaged areas. Some 600 teenagers were flown to Cuba to complete their schooling and receive professional training to become doctors (particularly gynecologists), engineers, or agronomists.
Denouncing the support of theUnited StatestoIsraelandSouth Africa, he called on African countries to boycott the1984 Summer OlympicsinLos Angeles. At theUnited Nations General Assembly, he denounced theinvasion of Grenada by the United States. The latter nation responded by implementing trade sanctions against Burkina Faso. Also at the UN, Sankara called for an end to the veto power granted to the great powers. In the name of the 'right of peoples to sovereignty', he supported the national demands of theWestern Sahara,Palestine, the NicaraguanSandinistas, and the South AfricanANC.
While he had good relations with Ghanaian leaderJerry Rawlingsand Libyan leaderMuammar Gaddafi, Sankara was relatively isolated in West Africa. Leaders close to France, such asHouphouët-BoignyinCôte d'IvoireandHassan IIinMorocco, were particularly hostile to him.
The British development organizationOxfamrecorded the arrest of trade union leaders in 1987.In 1984, seven individuals associated with the previous régime in Burkina Faso were accused of treason and executed after a summary trial. Non-governmental organizations and unions were harassed or placed under the authority of the Committees for the Defence of the Revolution, branches of which were established in each workplace and which functioned as 'organs of political and social control'.
Three days after Sankara had assumed power in 1983 through the popular revolution, the National Union of African Teachers of Upper Volta (SNEAHV) called Sankara and his governmentfascistand called upon workers to be ready to fight for their freedom. As a result, the government ordered the arrest of 4 key figures of the SNEAHV, one was released shortly after. In response, the SNEAHV called upon a national teachers' strike to protest the arrests. The government saw this as something that endangered the politically weak Upper Volta which had already faced 5 coups since its independence. Therefore the minister for National Education called upon directors ofprivate schools"not to use the services of the strikers in their establishments".The call affected 1300-1500 teachers.
Popular Revolutionary Tribunals, set up by the government throughout the country, placed defendants on trial for corruption, tax evasion or 'counter-revolutionary' activity. Procedures in these trials, especially legal protections for the accused, did not conform to international standards. According to Christian Morrisson and Jean-Paul Azam of theOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the 'climate of urgency and drastic action in which many punishments were carried out immediately against those who had the misfortune to be found guilty of unrevolutionary behaviour, bore some resemblance to what occurred in the worst days of theFrench Revolution, during theReign of Terror. Although few people were killed, violence was widespread'.
On 15 October 1987, Sankara and twelve other officials were killed in acoup d'étatorganized by his former colleagueBlaise Compaoré. When accounting for his overthrow, Compaoré stated that Sankara jeopardized foreign relations with former colonial power France and neighbouring Ivory Coast, and accused his former comrade of plotting to assassinate opponents.
Prince Johnson, a former Liberian warlord allied toCharles Taylorand killer of the Liberian presidentSamuel Doewhose last hours of life were filmed, told Liberia'sTruth and Reconciliation Commissionthat it was engineered by Charles Taylor.After the coup and although Sankara was known to be dead, some CDRs mounted an armed resistance to the army for several days.
According to Halouna Traoré, the sole survivor of Sankara's assassination, Sankara was attending a meeting with the Conseil de l'Entente.His assassins singled out Sankara and executed him. The assassins then shot at those attending the meeting, killing 12 other people. Sankara's body was riddled with bullets to the backand he was quickly buried in an unmarked grave while his widowMariamand two children fled the nation.Compaoré immediately reversed thenationalizations, overturned nearly all of Sankara's policies, rejoined theInternational Monetary FundandWorld Bankto bring in 'desperately needed' funds to restore the 'shattered' economyand ultimately spurned most of Sankara's legacy. Compaoré's dictatorship remained in power for 27 years until it wasoverthrown by popular protests in 2014.
In 2017, the Burkina Faso government officially asked the French government to release military documents on the killing of Sankara after his widow accused France of masterminding his assassination.
In April 2021, 34 years after Sankara's assassination, former president Compaoré and 13 others were indicted for complicity in the murder of Sankara as well as other crimes in the coup.This development came as part of PresidentRoch Kaboré's framework of 'national reconciliation'.
In October 2021, the trial against Compaoré and 13 others began inOuagadougou, with Compaoré being triedin absentia.Ex-presidential security chief Hyacinthe Kafondo, was also tried in absentia.A week before the trial, Compaoré's lawyers stated that he wouldn't be attending the trial which they characterized as having defects, and also emphasized his privilege for immunity, being the former head of state.After requests made by the defence attorneys for more time to prepare their defence, the hearing was postponed until 1 March.
On 6 April 2022, Compaoré and two others were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison in absentia. Eight others were sentenced to between 3 and 20 years in prison. Three were found innocent.
The exhumation of what are believed to be the remains of Sankara started onAfrican Liberation Day, 25 May 2015. Permission for an exhumation was denied during the rule of his successor, Blaise Compaoré.The exhumation would allow the family to formally identify the remains, a long-standing demand of his family and supporters.
In October 2015, one of the lawyers for Sankara's widow Mariam reported that the autopsy revealed that Sankara's body was 'riddled' with 'more than a dozen' bullets.
Accompanying his personal charisma, Sankara had an array of original initiatives that contributed to his popularity and brought some international media attention to his government.
A statue of Sankara was unveiled in 2019 at the location in Ouagadougou where he was assassinated; however due to complaints that it did not match his facial features, a new statue was unveiled a year later.
In 2023, the government of Burkina Faso formally proclaimed Sankara as a "hero of the nation".
In October 2023, on the 36th anniversary of his assassination, the government changed a main road name inOuagadougouto honor Sankara. The road in question was the Boulevard Charles de Gaulle, now known as Boulevard Capitaine Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara.
Cubaawarded Sankara with the highest honour of the state, theOrder of José Martí.
Twenty years after his assassination, Sankara was commemorated on 15 October 2007 in ceremonies that took place in Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Niger, Tanzania, Burundi, France, Canada and the United States.
Sankara is often referred to as "Africa'sChe Guevara".Sankara gave a speech marking and honouring the 20th anniversary of Che Guevara's 9 October 1967 execution, one week before his own assassination on 15 October 1987.