OPPOSITION to the military coup in African country of Burkina Faso, in which president Thomas Sankara and 15 of his supporțers were shot, continues. TREVOR SHELDON, who was in the country at the time of the coup, reports.
Thousands
sweltering ucad had Popular support propaganda anger.
CasLs OUl by the Popular accused „ocra and that he was a 'traitor'."
Captain Hase paoré the president and formeriv a close collaborator of Sankara, , had and declare in his speech to the nation that despite nis errors Sankara had increasingly isolated himself from his colleagues, trating in his own hands. The killing, he alleged, was provoked by the unCOVENCOAI S NONKOI plot led by Sankara against himself (Compaoré) two other officers who had helped Sankara lead the revolution in August 1983.
Very few people believe appeals for the peop conte out aro cend TIONL wele igporid and counter demonstr the country's second towr of Bobo-Dialasu were dispersed by the militat This reflects the wi August popularity Sankara's leadership.
Burkina Faso, formerly Upper Volta, was a French colony until 1960. Since then it has been ruled by a the West series of neo-colonial regimes taking their orders from France. This left the country one of the poorest most underdeveloped in the world.
The revolution defined as 'democratic and popular'. Its primary, fask was to liquidate imperialist obstacles social cultural development particularly in the countryside where 90 per cent of the population live.
It was a popular revolution in that it based itself on the support and mobilisation the people, particularly through the local grassroots Committees tor the Defence of the Revolution (CDRs).
In the last four years, the revolution resulted major gains for the toilers the country. Irrigation schemes, health clinics built; * mass BILCraCy alu valulalivl programmes were established based on unleashing and harnessing the energies öf the people.
Women, who had been particularly oppressed and isolated from politicai life organised through the CDRs and the Union of Burkina. They demanded, and got, a ban on forced marriages and female circumçisions, and a major sex education drive.
The right to have to land and to equal x By this year thea were La Dinel cemimsters Sank arnied an reputation as anti-imperialist betore he va illed. ek .Just hosted a major international anti-apartheid con Jerenet which followed months of a major educational campaign in the country on apartheid, including the setting up of a national anti-apartheid movement, MOBRAP. Thomas Sankara All this brought him in té confliet with Francee other imperialist countries, along with neighbouring seulisel vativo African governments who were scared of the popularity of the revolution amongst African youth, who looked to Sankara for a lead.
The main support fo the coun has come trom th Union of Communists of Burkina (UCB) a small but well-placed hard line faction based originally in the military. This was set up b Compaore and other ficers in 1985. The UCB had come increasingly into conflict with Sankara over the last six months This group called for a tougher line against interna dissenters and a more ad ministrative approach the revolution. This was in direct conflict with Sankara who was trying to integrate people into the revolutionary process by means OI auschssod organisation education, by political consent as oppos smaller of Communist Struggle (UCL-B) have been placed in senior ministerial positions put in charge of national local : organisations. This has confirmed early suspicions that this was a UCB-backed coup The new president's ef forts to gain support by sending his men round to address meetings of the local popular organisations have een frustrated by a mixture of poor diLen widespread incredulity and rejection.
School students at one capital's • largest schools physically ejected the Popular Front speaker amid chants of 'Sankara or no one'. A few hours later it was announced that the schools would be shut down for a week.
the countryside, suspending markets known radio commentator various OTOACaN local language: the refused to translate the of ficial communiques several former ministers have been arrested or are in hidinhis poses a deep problem for the military leadership who for two weeks had still not been come the respected In Front' says it since the the few the towns.
methods coup to put their demning killing of minstrator told me: 'Sankara's is but their organised.' asked ; of the revolution shook his
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