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American Values @Americas_Crimes
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31 years ago today, the revolutionary anti-colonialist president of Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara, was assassinated in a French/US-backed coup. Sankara was transforming the poor, former French colony into a proud, developed and self-sufficient nation.
Considered by many to be Africa's Che Guevara” Sankara said, “Imperialism is a system of exploitation that occurs not only in the brutal form of those who come with guns to conquer territory ... (but also) often occurs in more subtle forms, a loan, food aid, blackmail.”
In his 4 yrs as president, Sankara nationalized land & mineral mines, invested in public health, education, road development, improving food production, started a nation-wide literacy program & greatly improved women’s rights.
He cut-off predatory lending institutions like the IMF and World Bank & refused to pay foreign debt incurred by former corrupt leaders. He ended all foreign aid, which had made it impossible for the country to develop its own agricultural industry.
Sankara and 12 other people were killed in the coup, which was carried out by Blaise Compaore, Sankara’s colleague. The kill team riddled Sankara’s body with bullets, then it dismembered him & dumped his body in an unmarked grave.
Compaore’s regime blocked any independent investigation into Sankara’s assassination and even issued a death certificate claiming Sankara died of natural causes. ibtimes.co.uk/thomas-sankara…
Journalist Silvestro Montanaro interviewed a number of people involved in coup, who say they had French & US support. pambazuka.org/pan-africanism… …
Thomas Sankara's family has asked France to release its files on his assassination, but they have refused.
bbc.com/news/world-afr…
Compaore's regime reversed all of Sankara's policies & opened up the country for neo-colonial exploitation. Compaore, remained in power for 27 years. The West backed him the whole time; Obama even invited him to the White House.
Compaore is currently living freely in the Ivory Coast despite an arrest warrant for him in Burkina Faso for ordering the killings of unarmed protesters in a 2014 uprising that finally pushed him from power.
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This week in 2009, Seal Team 6 & CIA forces conducted a night raid in Afghanistan, dragging school children from their beds, handcuffing them & executing them w/ shots to the head. Other children were shot in their sleep. In total, 8 children were killed & 2 adults civilians.
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On this day in 1862, Abraham Lincoln ordered the largest ever mass execution in US history, hanging 38 innocent Dakota men. The execution followed sham military trials where they were found 'guilty' of the ‘crime’ of resisting starvation & their own ethnic cleansing.
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Thomas Sankara was assassinated 31 years ago today. Today we remember Thomas Sankara. Thomas Sankara proudly stood against colonialism & launched one of the most prestigious programs for social & economic change ever attempted on the continent of Africa.

Here’s a few fun facts:
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• Thomas Sankara vaccinated 2.5 children against meningitis, yellow fever, and measles in a matter of WEEKS.
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