Today marks the 10th anniversary of the day when former president Burkina Faso Blaise Compaoré, best known for his role in the assassination of revolutionary President Thomas Sankara (1949-87), resigned amidst a mass uprising.
After Sankara was assassinated, Compaoré—now 73 and living in the Ivory Coast—served as president of Burkina Faso for 27 years. Burkina Faso’s people struggled against Compaoré’s rule despite heavy political repression. However, in 2014, his plans to change the constitution to extend his time in power caused nationwide outrage. In 2011, a series of protests against the government broke out in the capital, Ouagadougou. For years, students and teachers would take time off from the school year to participate in strikes calling for ‘Justice for Sankara.’ However, the movement culminated in late October 2014, when mobilisations exploded and proliferated across the country, calling for the end of Compaoré’s rule.
Now, the people of Burkina Faso have the government they wanted, one that draws inspiration from the leadership model Sankara had advanced. In 2022, following a successful coup d’état, President Ibrahim Traoré delinked Burkina Faso from the neo-colonial system.
Twenty-four people who lost their lives while fighting Compaoré’s police and military forces during the insurrection are today honoured at the Monument to the Martyrs in Ouagadougou.
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/15/burkina-faso-capital-erupts-protest