Burkina Faso's transitional president has promised an investigation to identify remains thought to be those of the nation's murdered revolutionary folk hero, Thomas Sankara.

He rose to power in 1983 after a coup and left a lasting mark, including changing his country's name from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso. He was killed during another military putsch four years later led by Blaise Compaore, who ruled for 27 years until being toppled by a popular uprising last month. Sankara's body is thought to have been buried in an unmarked grave in the country's capital.