The Minister for Defence, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, led a high-profile Ghanaian delegation to Ouagadougou over the weekend to represent President John Dramani Mahama and the Ghana Armed Forces at the inauguration of a memorial park in honour of Captain Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara and twelve of his compatriots.
Captain Sankara, revered as a revolutionary icon, was assassinated on October 15, 1987. The newly unveiled memorial park features a giant statue and serves as a place of reflection and resistance, symbolising the enduring legacy of Sankara and his fellow patriots.
During the ceremony, the people and government of Burkina Faso described the fallen heroes as “fallen but forever alive in their hearts.” They expressed hope that the Thomas Sankara Memorial would inspire future generations to resist oppression, defeat colonial legacies, and overcome terrorism.
In a touching moment of solidarity between the two nations, President Jerry John Rawlings of Ghana was posthumously praised for his pan-African ideals and revolutionary leadership. The Burkinabe authorities announced plans to name a ceremonial street in Ouagadougou after him in the coming days.
The Ghanaian delegation included the Minister for the Interior and National Security, Muntaka Mubarak; Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu; Ghana’s Special Envoy to the Alliance of Sahel States, Lt. Col. Gbevlo Lartey (Rtd); Chairperson of Parliament’s Security and Intelligence Committee, Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings; and two former national security giants under President Rawlings — Naval Captain Asaase Gyima (Rtd) and Mr. Kofi Totobi Quakyi.
Dr. Omane Boamah conveyed the team’s deep appreciation to the government of Burkina Faso and especially to his counterpart, Minister for Defence Brigadier General Celestin Simpore, for their warm hospitality and excellent engagement.
