Burkina Faso – Sankara: The Man Who Troubled France and Its Allies

On October 15, 1987, Thomas Sankara and twelve of his associates were shot dead by a military commando in the presidential council room in Ouagadougou. The following day, the national radio announced his “natural death”; 39 years later, the judicial truth has emerged, but the identity of those who ordered the killing remains a mystery. Sankara came to power on August 4, 1983, after a popular uprising, and renamed Upper Volta Burkina Faso, meaning “Land of Upright People.” His pan-Africanist legacy remains a guiding reference for millions of Africans.