On this day in 1987, visionary pan-African icon and leader of Burkina Faso Thomas Sankara was assassinated by his longtime friend and, at the time, minister of state, Blaise Compaoré. That put a temporary halt to his progressive vision for the Sahel nation, which – under him – saw land redistribution, expanded access to education and mass vaccination. After his death, Ouagadougou again came under the sway of ex-colonial power France amid lingering suspicions that Paris had a hand in the assassination.
Sankara was taken too soon. But the torch he lit continues to guide Burkina Faso. We compare Thomas Sankara’s impact over his four-year tenure with the work accomplished by the man currently at the nation’s helm, Ibrahim Traoré.
Since coming to power in 2022, Traoré has embarked on similar initiatives, including the removal of French influence in Burkina Faso and the partial realisation of the pan-African project: the unification with Mali and Niger into a tripartite anti-imperialist confederation.
Do you think Traoré is a Sankara 2.0?
Sources:
Death of Sankara, role of Blaise
https://archive.ph/3BN2v#selection-4979.139-4979.217
Sankara’s progressive policies
https://archive.ph/3BN2v#selection-4979.139-4979.217
Burkina kicks out the French under Traore
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-68846771