BURKINA Faso's interim prime minister has pledged to open inquiries into the deaths of a revered former president and an investigative journalist - key demands of protesters who swept veteran ruler Blaise Compaore from power last month.

Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida, who seized power after Mr Compaore fled and was then named prime minister, also said audits would be carried out at state firms and those suspected of corruption would be held to account.

Mr Compaore fled the West African country last month when hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of the capital Ouagadougou to protest against his bid to change the constitution to extend his 27-year rule.

Although he won support from Western allies as a key regional power broker in recent years, Mr Compaore left behind a country where many say corruption and impunity hobbled progress despite a growing gold mining industry.

Mr Zida said: "We must shine a light on everything that went on during Blaise Compaore's rule. All the pending dossiers will be reopened."

Mr Compaore took office in a 1987 coup in which then-President Thomas Sankara was killed in unexplained circumstances.

Interim authorities have already vowed to exhume a grave thought to contain the remains of Mr Sankara.