Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso – On October 15, 1987, the vibrant and revolutionary presidency of Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara, Burkina Faso’s charismatic leader, was abruptly ended in a hail of gunfire. Known as “Africa’s Che Guevara,” Sankara’s assassination at the age of 37 not only silenced a visionary leader but also derailed a bold experiment in African self-reliance and anti-imperialism. His staunch opposition to foreign aid, particularly food aid, which he viewed as a tool of neocolonial control, was central to his revolutionary ideology—a stance that likely contributed to the forces aligned against him.
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The Assassination: A Betrayal in Ouagadougou
On that fateful afternoon, Sankara was attending a meeting of the Conseil de l’Entente, a special cabinet session, at the presidential palace in Ouagadougou. The agenda included discussions on revolutionary policies and regional alliances, reflecting Sankara’s relentless push for Burkina Faso’s autonomy. Around 4:00 p.m., the calm was shattered by the sound of gunfire. A hit squad, led by Hyacinthe Kafando, a former member of Sankara’s security detail, stormed the building. Sankara, along with twelve aides and advisors, was gunned down in a meticulously planned coup d’état.
According to Halouna Traoré, the sole survivor of the massacre, Sankara was struck by at least seven rounds, including tracer bullets designed for nighttime combat, as evidenced by burns on his clothing. Autopsy reports later confirmed his body was “riddled with bullets,” a testament to the brutality of the attack. The official narrative from the coup leaders, spearheaded by Blaise Compaoré, Sankara’s former comrade and close friend, claimed Sankara died of “natural causes.” This lie was maintained for decades, with Compaoré’s regime suppressing all inquiries into the truth.
Compaoré, who assumed power immediately after the coup, was later implicated as the mastermind. In 2021, a military tribunal in Ouagadougou charged him with complicity in murder, and in April 2022, he was convicted in absentia, alongside Kafando and Gilbert Diendéré, a key military figure, receiving life sentences. Compaoré, exiled in Ivory Coast, has never faced extradition, and Kafando remains at large. The trial revealed a web of internal and external actors, with allegations of foreign involvement, particularly from France, Ivory Coast, and Liberia’s Charles Taylor, though definitive evidence remains elusive due to France’s refusal to fully declassify relevant documents.
Sankara’s assassination was not just a personal betrayal but a blow to a revolutionary movement that challenged the global status quo. His policies, which prioritized self-sufficiency and rejected Western dominance, had made him a target for both domestic elites and foreign powers wary of his influence.
A Revolution Against Food Aid
Central to Sankara’s vision was his rejection of food aid, which he saw as a mechanism of imperialist control that perpetuated dependency and undermined African dignity. In a 1986 speech at the First National Conference of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDRs), Sankara famously declared, “Where is imperialism? Look at your plates when you eat. The imported rice, maize, and millet; that is imperialism.” For Sankara, food aid was not a solution but a symptom of a deeper political disease—neocolonialism.
Burkina Faso, then one of the world’s poorest nations, was heavily reliant on foreign food imports and aid when Sankara took power in 1983. He argued that this dependency stripped Africans of agency, fostering a “beggar’s mindset.” In a 1987 interview, he elaborated, “He who feeds you, controls you,” a sentiment echoed in posts on X commemorating his legacy. Sankara believed that accepting food aid without addressing structural issues only deepened economic subjugation, as it often came with conditions from institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, which he also rejected.
Instead, Sankara pursued food sovereignty through aggressive agricultural reforms. His government redistributed land to peasants, banned the importation of certain foreign grains, and promoted local production of rice, maize, and millet. By 1987, Burkina Faso achieved food self-sufficiency, with wheat production rising from 1,700 kg per hectare to 3,800 kg per hectare in just three years. He encouraged Burkinabé to “consume only what we ourselves control,” fostering a sense of pride and independence. His policies also included ecological initiatives, such as planting millions of trees to combat desertification, ensuring long-term agricultural sustainability.
Sankara’s rejection of food aid was not absolute; he welcomed aid that empowered self-reliance, such as agricultural tools or infrastructure support. As he stated, “Don’t send us food if you want to help us, send us tractors, fertilizer, and materials so we can develop.” This nuanced stance highlighted his belief that true aid should eliminate the need for future dependence.
The Cost of Defiance
Sankara’s radical policies, including his rejection of food aid and IMF loans, alienated powerful interests. His anti-imperialist rhetoric, which called for African nations to repudiate colonial-era debts, threatened Western financial institutions and former colonial powers like France. His renaming of Upper Volta to Burkina Faso (“land of the upright people”) and his promotion of local industries, such as cotton weaving, challenged the economic dominance of foreign corporations like the French multinational SOFITEX.
The 2021-2022 trial shed light on the motives behind his assassination. Compaoré accused Sankara of straining relations with France and Ivory Coast and plotting to eliminate opponents, claims widely dismissed as propaganda. Prince Johnson, a Liberian warlord, testified to Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission that Charles Taylor, backed by external forces, played a role in the coup. Activists and Sankara’s widow, Mariam, have long suspected French complicity, pointing to France’s cozy relations with Compaoré’s regime post-1987. Despite French President Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 promise to declassify documents, key archives remain sealed, fueling speculation of a cover-up.
A Lasting Legacy
Sankara’s assassination marked the end of Burkina Faso’s revolutionary experiment, but his ideas endure. Compaoré’s regime reversed many of Sankara’s gains, reintegrating Burkina Faso into IMF programs and privatizing resources, leading to increased poverty and dependence. Yet, Sankara’s grave remains a pilgrimage site, and his statue at the Thomas Sankara Memorial in Ouagadougou draws thousands. The 2014 uprising that ousted Compaoré was inspired by Sankara’s vision of an independent Burkina Faso.
His rejection of food aid continues to resonate in discussions of food justice. Organizations like Terres Vivants-Thomas Sankara carry forward his agro-ecological principles, promoting community-led farming and reforestation. Across Africa, young activists invoke his words, “Ideas cannot be killed,” as they challenge neocolonial structures.
As Burkina Faso grapples with ongoing instability, including recent coups, Sankara’s legacy serves as both a beacon and a warning. His assassination, a tragic convergence of betrayal and imperialist interests, underscores the dangers faced by leaders who dare to defy global powers. Yet, his unwavering belief in African self-reliance and his rejection of food aid as a tool of control continue to inspire a continent seeking true sovereignty.
