Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) – In early March, or four months after the fall of Blaise Compaoré, the acting government ordered the exhumation of the body of Capt. Sankara, and those of his aides, in a bid to properly identify it, and perhaps give it a proper burial.
The charismatic Sankara and 12 of his aides were killed in a coup in 1987.
Lawyers for the families of the slain men, who attended the exhumation, said there were indications that their bodies were not properly buried.
One of the lawyers, Mr. Benewende Sankara, said the bodies believed to be remains of the slain men were buried just about 45 centimetres deep.
The exhumation, which is attracting a huge interest in the West African nation, started on Monday at the Dagnoen cemetery in the east of Ouagadougou, the nation’s capital, under police protection.
On Tuesday, the remains of five of the slain men, believed to be Thomas Sankara, Abdoulaye Guem, Der Somda, Laye Ouali and Sibiri Zagré, were exhumed.
After the exhumation of the bodies, experts will use DNA tests to determine the true identity of the remains.
Thomas Sankara was the father of the Burkina revolution of August 4, 1983 until his assassination, along with twelve others, in the coup that swept Blaise Compaoré to power on October 15, 1987.
