OUAGADOUGOU — 1987 · Murder
The Assassination of Thomas Sankara
Thomas Sankara, Burkina Faso's revolutionary leader, was shot dead along with twelve officials on 15 October 1987 during a coup launched while he was at a meeting in the Conseil de l'Entente building in Ouagadougou. His former comrade Blaise Compaoré took power and ruled for 27 years. After Compaoré was toppled by a popular uprising in 2014, the case was reopened, and in 2015 the remains were exhumed for examination. At a trial that began in October 2021, Compaoré and two co-defendants were sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment on 6 April 2022; eight others received 3 to 20 years and three were acquitted. In 2025 the victims were reburied in a mausoleum at the site of the killing.
- Date
- 1987
- Place
- Conseil de l'Entente, Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, BF
- Category
- Murder
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 12.3700, -1.5200 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 15 October 1987Sankara and twelve others were killed at the Conseil de l'Entente.
- October 2014Blaise Compaoré was ousted by a popular uprising.
- May 2015Sankara's remains were exhumed for examination.
- 6 April 2022Compaoré and two others were sentenced to life in absentia.
- 2025The victims were reburied in a mausoleum at the site.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Thomas Sankara en.wikipedia.org ↗
- BBC — Sankara remains: Burkina Faso late leader 'riddled with bullets' bbc.com ↗
- The Guardian — Thomas Sankara to be exhumed theguardian.com ↗
- Wikipedia
- BBC
- The Guardian
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.