Burkina Faso’s interim government honored the memory of former president Thomas Sankara on Sunday (Oct. 15), commemorating the 36th anniversary of his assassination in a coup.
The ceremony in Ouagadougou was attended by the late leader’s relatives, the interim president, and other government officials.
Earlier in October, Sankara was posthumously designated a national hero, with plans to celebrate his legacy annually on October 15.
During the event, Burkina Faso’s Civil Service Minister Bassolma Bazié announced, “The late Captain Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara is recognized as a Hero of the Nation.”
Interim President Traoré initiated the construction of the Thomas Sankara mausoleum at the site of Sankara’s assassination and that of 12 of his companions.
Moreover, in tribute to the former president, Boulevard Charles de Gaulle was officially renamed Boulevard Thomas Sankara, signifying the country’s pride in honoring its own heroes.
Thomas Sankara rose to power in a 1983 coup before being assassinated along with his companions by a group of coup plotters.