Burkina Faso's military leaders turn to 'Africa's Che Guevara' to rally
struggling country
[May 21, 2025]
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — The military rulers of Burkina Faso
have turned to a man once known as “Africa’s Che Guevara" as a way to
rally a country struggling to defeat extremists and turning away from
former Western allies.
Hundreds of young people gathered over the weekend in the capital,
Ouagadougou, for the opening of a mausoleum for legendary leader Thomas
Sankara.
“I’m the driver of the revolution!" one young man exclaimed with
delight, sitting behind the wheel of the jeep that Sankara used during
his presidency decades ago.
A charismatic Marxist leader who seized global attention by defiantly
declaring his country could rely on itself, Sankara came to power in
1983 at the age of 33 after he and former ally Blaise Compaore led a
leftist coup that overthrew a moderate military faction. But in 1987,
Compaore turned on his former friend in a coup that killed Sankara in
the capital — and later became president himself.
An anti-imperialist legacy
Nearly four decades after his death, Sankara is being celebrated in
Burkina Faso, a nation of 23 million people once known for its bustling
arts scene and vibrant intellectual life — including Sankara's
anti-imperialist and pan-African legacy.
“When I stepped inside the mausoleum, I felt the revolution,” said
Timoté, a 22-year-old who said he came because of what he heard about
Sankara at home and at school.
Sankara's mausoleum, designed by Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning
architect Francis Kéré, has been the project of current military leader
Capt. Ibrahim Traore.
Since taking power during a coup in 2022, Traore has presented himself
as the new Sankara. He has named one of the main streets after the
revolutionary leader, elevated him to the rank of Hero of the Nation and
revived revolutionary slogans such as “Fatherland or death, we will
win!” in most of his speeches.
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People visit the newly inaugurated mausoleum for Burkina Faso's
legendary leader Thomas Sankara in Ouagadougou, Saturday, May 17,
2025 (AP Photo)
The mission of the mausoleum is "to keep the flame of the revolution
alive and to remind the world of Capt. Thomas Sankara’s fight to
break the chains of slavery and imperialist domination,” Burkina
Faso Prime Minister Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo said as he read Traore's
statement.
An unstable Burkina Faso
Despite promising to fight the security crisis that pushed them to
stage a coup, Burkina Faso's military leaders have struggled to deal
with the worsening crisis. According to conservative estimates, more
than 60% of the country is now outside of government control, more
than 2 million people have lost their homes and almost 6.5 million
need humanitarian aid to survive.
Human rights groups say the military leadership has installed a
system of de facto censorship, crushing critics, while many have
been killed by jihadi groups or government forces.
As people flocked to Ouagadougou to celebrate Sankara, life
elsewhere in the country reflects a different reality.
“We can go out for a bit in the city center, but with caution,” said
one student from Dori, the capital of the northern region, echoing
concerns about restrictions on free speech and movement.
The student spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being
arrested.
Security concerns have permeated every aspect of life outside
Ouagadougou. Even the price of beer has skyrocketed as more places
become inaccessible to traders.
“There are two Burkina Fasos,” said a teacher from the east,
speaking on condition of anonymity for safety reasons. “One where
the streets are deserted at night, and another that comes alive to
enjoy the cool evening air.”
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