Jean-Baptiste Boukary Lingani

Major Jean-Baptiste Boukary Lingani (died 19 September 1989) was an officer of the Army of the Republic of Upper Volta, who participated in the government led by Thomas Sankara, and subsequently participated in Sankara's overthrow and death. He was himself purged not long afterwards.

Lingani was educated at the , a military academy in Saint-Louis, the capital of Senegal. He later became a teacher at the outside of the Voltaic capital of Ouagadougou.

In 1976, when the country was led by Major General Sangoulé Lamizana, he participated in forming a secret left-wing organization within the lower officers of the Voltaic military, the "Communist Officers' Group" (French: Regroupement des officiers communistes, ROC). Other well-known members of the ROC included Henri Zongo, Blaise Compaoré, and Thomas Sankara. In 1980, Lamizana – who himself had previously participated in overthrowing his predecessor – was deposed by Colonel Saye Zerbo in a military coup. A subsequent coup in 1982 against Zerbo put Major Dr. Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo in power instead, and Lingani's comrade Thomas Sankara was made Prime Minister. This influence on the Ouédraogo regime from left-wing officers troubled the former colonial power France, and after a visit by Jean-Christophe Mitterrand Sankara, Henri Zongo and Lingani were all placed under arrest.

A popular uprising was triggered in response, and Blaise Compaoré led yet another coup, which made Sankara President. Lingani and the other members of the Communist Officers' Group joined the Council of Popular Salvation, the new military junta. Sankara set about attempting to enact what he called the "Democratic and Popular Revolution" (French: Révolution démocratique et populaire), a radical transformation of society. To achieve this, new entities such as the Pioneers of the Revolution, the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution and the Popular Revolutionary Tribunals were introduced.

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