Burkina Faso’s military government is planning to rebury former President Thomas Sankara on Thursday, despite his family’s refusal to attend because they were dissatisfied with the location. The private ceremony will take place where Sankara and 12 others were assassinated in a military coup in October 1987.
His family said they would not attend because they were not satisfied with the site, but the government said the choice was guided by “socio-cultural and security imperatives of national interest”.
According to the government, his reburial will take place in accordance with customary and religious funeral rites.
Many Africans regard Sankara as a hero because of his anti-imperialist stance and minimalist lifestyle. He ascended to power in 1983 and was assassinated four years later at the age of 37 in a coup led by his close friend Blaise Compaoré.
Compaoré ruled the country for 27 years before being deposed in 2014 following a popular uprising. After Compaore was overthrown, the 13 corpses were exhumed from a cemetery outside the city. Following an investigation, 14 individuals accused of plotting the assassination of Sankara went on trial. In 2022, he was sentenced to life in prison in absentia for the death of Sankara.
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