By John Ikani
Burkina Faso held a ceremony on Thursday to re-bury the remains of former leader, Thomas Sankara, and 12 others who died with him in a 1987 coup.
Soldiers and community leaders were present to pay tribute to the charismatic Marxist leader, who is often compared to “Africa’s Che Guevara”.
The ceremony took place at the site of Sankara’s assassination, which has since become a memorial featuring a life-size statue of him pumping his fist in the air.
Sankara first came to power in 1983, when he and Blaise Compaore led a leftist coup that overthrew a moderate military faction.
But in 1987, Compaore seized power from his former friend in a coup and went on to rule the country for 30 years.
Sankara’s body and the others who died with him, were buried hastily, after the coup and were only allowed to be dug up in 2015, following the ousting of Compaore.
Last year, Compaore was tried in absentia and convicted of complicity in the murders of Sankara and the others.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Burkina Faso military tribunal, while his right-hand man, Gilbert Diendere, and former Spy Chief, Tousma Yacinthe Kafando, were also given life sentences.
Eight others were found guilty of various charges including; giving false testimony and complicity in undermining state security.
While Sankara’s family was happy that he was finally laid to rest, they expressed their disappointment with the location of the burial site.
Sankara’s younger brother, Paul, told The Associated Press that the site was “painful” for them to visit because of the “crimes committed there and murders.”
The family had requested that Sankara be buried elsewhere, but was told that it was at the army’s discretion, since he was a soldier.
The current junta leader of Burkina Faso, Capt. Ibrahim Traore, has been likened to Sankara, as an anti-imperialist pan-African leader.
Analysts suggest that Traore is using the reburial as an opportunity to increase his support and appeal to the collective memory of Sankara.
“With undertaking a symbolic state funeral for Sankara, Traore aims to boost his image by appealing to the collective memory of the young revolutionary leader that still shapes society in Burkina Faso,” said Mucahid Durmaz, Senior Analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, a global risk intelligence firm.
Burkina Faso has been struggling with a jihadi insurgency linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, which has killed thousands and displaced nearly 2 million people, leading to two coups last year.
The reburial of Sankara may provide some hope and inspiration for the country as it tries to find its way forward amidst the ongoing crisis.
