Major Jean-Baptiste Boukary Lingani (1941–1989) was a Burkinabè military officer and political figure who was a core member of the revolutionary movement that dominated Upper Volta/Burkina Faso in the 1980s. He was one of the original “triumvirate” of the 1983 revolution, alongside Thomas Sankara and Blaise Compaoré. His career was defined by his loyalty to the revolution, his high military command, and his execution under the orders of his former comrade, Blaise Compaoré.
Key Biographical Information
| Detail | Information |
| Full Name | Jean-Baptiste Boukary Lingani |
| Born | c. 1941 |
| Died | September 18, 1989 (aged c. 48), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso |
| Highest Rank | Major |
| Key Roles | Minister for Popular Defense; Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces |
| Political Group | Co-founder of the Communist Officers’ Group (ROC) |
| Cause of Death | Summary execution (Firing Squad) |
The Revolutionary Alliance
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Military Background: Lingani was the most senior and reserved member of the famous quartet of officers that would shape Burkina Faso’s fate. He was educated at the Prytanée militaire de Saint-Louis in Senegal and later became a teacher at the military academy in Kadiogo.
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The ROC: In 1976, he was instrumental in forming the Regrouping of Communist Officers (ROC), a secret, left-wing organization within the military. The other well-known members were Henri Zongo, Blaise Compaoré, and Thomas Sankara.
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Key Coups: Lingani was deeply involved in the cycle of military interventions:
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He helped overthrow Colonel Saye Zerbo in 1982.
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After being briefly arrested by Major Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo in the “May Coup” of 1983, he was freed when Blaise Compaoré led the August 1983 coup that installed Thomas Sankara as President.
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Role in Sankara’s Government (1983–1987)
Under the Democratic and Popular Revolution led by Thomas Sankara, Lingani held a crucial position:
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Minister of Popular Defense: He served as the Minister for Popular Defense and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, making him Sankara’s right-hand man in military affairs.
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The Agacher Strip War: He commanded the Burkinabè forces during the brief Second Agacher Strip War against Mali in December 1985.
The Coup Against Sankara and Final Downfall
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The 1987 Coup: Lingani and Henri Zongo were not publicly identified as the masterminds of the October 15, 1987, coup that assassinated Thomas Sankara. While they were involved in the putsch and assumed power with Blaise Compaoré, reports indicate they were initially unaware of the plot to murder Sankara.
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The Triumvirate: Following Sankara’s death, Compaoré led the country as part of a ruling triumvirate that included Lingani (who retained his position as Minister for Popular Defense) and Henri Zongo (Minister of Economic Promotion).
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Execution (1989): This fragile alliance disintegrated over deep personal and economic policy disagreements. Compaoré quickly began rolling back Sankara’s socialist policies and moving closer to France. On September 18, 1989, while Compaoré was out of the country, Lingani and Zongo were arrested and accused of plotting a coup to overthrow Compaoré’s government. They were summarily executed by a firing squad the following day, consolidating Compaoré’s authoritarian, 25-year rule.
Jean-Baptiste Lingani remains a tragic figure whose life illustrates how the deep bonds forged during the revolution dissolved into political paranoia and fatal power struggles, with him becoming one of the first victims of the authoritarian turn under Blaise Compaoré.