Thomas Sankara was a Burkinabé revolutionary who served as the president of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987. A communist and a pan-Africanist, he was also known as "Africa's Che Guevara.” Sankara had learned about left-leaning politics at his military academy. He became the prime minister of his country in January 1983 but was imprisoned due to differences with the government. His men, led by Blaise Compaoré, seized power through a coup and made Sankara the president in August 1983. Sankara introduced significant reforms in just 4 years of his reign. He strengthened women’s rights, planted millions of trees, built roads and railways, reduced the salaries of government officials, and himself led a simple life. He was killed by armed men in a meeting in 1987, following which Compaoré became a dictator.
