The family was seeking more answers about his death after the man who overthrew Sankara, his former best friend, was ousted from power late past year.
Advertisement
Ambroise Farama, one of the lawyers representing the Sankara family, said that the revelations about Mr Sankara’s body were “mind-boggling”, the AFP news agency reports.
Almost three decades after his death, remains believed to be those of Sankara and 12 former aides were exhumed from a cemetery in the capital Ouagadougou in May.
“The ballistics report and the autopsy confirm that President Thomas Sankara and his companions were killed by bullets from Kalashnikovs, automatic pistols and G3 rifles”, the lawyer said, noting these were weapons used by the Burkinabe military.
“There is no doubt about the criminal origin of his death”, he said, adding that at least eight people had already been charged in connection with the case.
“In terms of the [gunshot] wounds, what was found in relation to Thomas Sankara’s body is really mind-boggling”.
The coup leader, Gilbert Diendere, is widely suspected of having headed hit squad that executed Sankara.
Most memorably, he changed the name of the former French colony from Haute-Volta to Burkina Faso, literally “land of the upright”. However, his increasingly authoritarian government alienated powerful vested interests.
Political party representatives say Burkina Faso’s presidential and parliamentary elections will take place on November 29 after a short-lived coup in September upset the original election timeline.
Fellow presidential candidate Roch Marc Christian Kabore, confirmed the date which is to be approved at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
Advertisement
The presidential guard (RSP) announced a coup in the restive west African country on Sept 17, bringing the country to the edge of chaos for six days before the bid collapsed with its leaders admitting they did not enjoy popular support.
