That Thomas Sankara may finally rest in peace

Restless, even during the dictatorship of his deputy, Blaise Compaore, whose loyalists killed Sankara in a palace coup d’état, since last year when he too was deposed by a people-power movement, Sankara’s family finally obtained government permission to exhume his body and conduct a post-mortem on his remains in order to formally identify his body […]

Restless, even during the dictatorship of his deputy, Blaise Compaore, whose loyalists killed Sankara in a palace coup d’état, since last year when he too was deposed by a people-power movement, Sankara’s family finally obtained government permission to exhume his body and conduct a post-mortem on his remains in order to formally identify his body as well as establish the actual cause of his death. For years, Compaoré had rebuffed such requests when he held sway, and consistently refused to allow any investigation into his friend and predecessor’s death. In fact, the court blocked Sankara’s family request for authorization to exhume his remains. Only recently did the new government in the country headed by Michel Kafand announce that the longstanding request had been granted and the exhumation could commence.
Thomas Sankara was a left-leaning army captain in the country once known as Upper Volta. He seized power in a 1983 coup that proved to be popular after years of corruption of the Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo  government. He gave the country its present name, which means Land of Upright People. Sankara led the country for four years, introducing some of the most ambitious development projects seen in Africa until his death at the age of 37 when he was shot dead, along with 12 aides and loyal troops who tried to fight back at the presidential palace. Some people assert that Sankara’s remains were buried in Dangnoen cemetery in the country’s capital, Ouagadougou; his family and supporters dispute this, and suggested that his corpse was dismembered and the parts buried in several sites. Compaoré prevented Sankara’s family from taking his body and giving his remains proper rites of passage.
Two medical specialists from Bukina Faso and another from France, who are working under the supervision of a government official and an investigating magistrate, recently began exhuming graves believed to contain the remains of Sankara and his 12 allies. The lawyer said a few bones and pieces of red garment with black stripes were found in the ex-president’s grave. Parts of a tracksuit were found in another. Relatives of the victims also said “two teeth, parts of a jaw and remnants of a tracksuit” were also found in a third grave.  Sankara, considered by many to be Africa’s Che Guevara, was often seen in sports gear.
 At 33, Captain Sankara launched a revolution of nationalism and land redistribution programmes in the country. He succeeded in pushing up school enrolment from 6 to 22 percent. Access to health was increased. In 15 days, for instance, 2.5 million children were immunized against meningitis, yellow fever and measles. Massive construction of roads and rail transport was embarked upon. Sankara ordered the planting of 10 million trees to combat drought and slow down desertification in the country.
Captain Sankara declared war on corruption by placing himself on a salary of less than $500 a month. His ministers were also on low pay. He strongly opposed foreign aid. Under Sankara, government prioritized gender equality; and worked towards ending female genital mutilation. His most valuable possessions were a car, four bikes, three guitars, a fridge and a broken freezer. He was often referred to as the world’s poorest head of state. Sankara refused to use the air conditioning in his office on the ground that such luxury was available to only a handful of Burkinabe. In 1984, Sankara abolished rural poll tax and outlawed obligatory labour for traditional village chiefs. He also nationalized all land and mineral wealth, and banned the hanging of his portrait in public places.
Compaoré, who escaped to exile, has always denied involvement in Sankara’s murder, insisting that he had nothing to hide. Whatever the truth is, the the findings of the exhumation and forensic experts should strive to satisfy the public’s (and Sankara’s family) curiosity as to what exactly happened that led to the death of Sankara, and establish the nature of the unfortunate events so that a closure can finally be found to enable the ghost of Sankara to rest in peace.