Aboubakar Sangoulé Lamizana (31 January 1916 – 26 May 2005) was a Burkinabé military officer who served as the President of Upper Volta (since 1984 renamed

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana t ...

), in power from 3 January 1966, to 25 November 1980. He held the additional position of Prime Minister from 8 February 1974, to 7 July 1978.

Biography

After Upper Volta achieved complete independence from the French Union in 1960, opposition parties either merged with the governing party, '' Union démocratique voltaïque'' (UDV), or were banned, transforming Upper Volta into a single party state, headed by

Maurice Yaméogo Maurice Yaméogo (31 December 1921 – 15 September 1993) was the first President of the Republic of Upper Volta, now called Burkina Faso, from 1959 until 1966. "Monsieur Maurice" embodied the Voltaic state at the moment of independence. However ...

as President. Yaméogo's one-party regime elicited much unrest; student strikes and mass demonstrations by students, labor unions, and civil servants. Yaméogo was forced to resign after a general strike and a

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

on 3 January 1966, giving power to General Sangoulé Lamizana on the demonstrators' demand. Lamizana served as nominal head of a "provisional military government" until a new Constitution, ratified on 14 June 1970, provided for a four-year transition to fully civilian elected leadership; he was also

foreign minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

from 1966 to 1967. Elections under the new Constitution delivered a clear majority of the assembly to the UDV. In the early 1970s the effect of a five-year drought and increasing

desertification Desertification is a type of land degradation in drylands in which biological productivity is lost due to natural processes or induced by human activities whereby fertile areas become increasingly arid. It is the spread of arid areas caused ...

in the

Sahel The Sahel (; ar, ساحل ' , "coast, shore") is a region in North Africa. It is defined as the ecoclimatic and biogeographic realm of transition between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian savanna to the south. Having a hot semi-arid cli ...

brought the threat of famine to several nations including Upper Volta. The resulting economic dislocation encouraged factionalism in the government, headed by

Gérard Kango Ouédraogo Gérard Kango Ouédraogo (French pronunciation: �eʁaʁ kɑ̃ɡo wedʁaɔɡo September 19, 1925 – July 1, 2014) was a Burkinabé statesman and diplomat who served as Prime Minister of Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso) from 13 February 1971 to 8 ...

, the

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

who had been appointed by Lamizana. Again

military intervention Interventionism refers to a political practice of intervention, particularly to the practice of governments to interfere in political affairs of other countries, staging military or trade interventions. Economic interventionism refers to a diff ...

and dissolution of the assembly brought Lamizana back in control, essentially now as dictator. Lamizana's regime had international recognition and visited with U.S. President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

. On 15 October 1973 Lamizana met with President Nixon and briefed him on the Sahel drought in the

Oval Office The Oval Office is the formal working space of the President of the United States. Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, it is located in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C. The oval-shaped roo ...

.File:Nixon, Upper Volta President Lamizana - October 15, 1973(Gerald Ford Library)(1552621).pdf Lamizana explained that he represented himself and the other Sahel governments and hoped to secure aid during the famine and drought. Nixon promised to provide as much help as he could. His personal party following was styled the National Movement for Renewal, although that became a short-lived formation. A new Constitution was written and approved in a

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a Representative democr ...

in 1977, and Lamizana was reelected in open elections in 1978; this election is generally considered as being among the most democratic ever held in West Africa. Later Lamizana joined UDV. With the support of unions and civil groups, Col. Saye Zerbo overthrew Lamizana in a bloodless

in November 1980.

References

External links

Kenneth Janda, "Political Parties: A Cross-National Survey"
Upper Volta

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamizana, Sangoule 1916 births 2005 deaths Burkinabé military personnel Foreign ministers of Burkina Faso Heads of state of Burkina Faso Burkinabé Muslims Leaders who took power by coup Leaders ousted by a coup Prime Ministers of Burkina Faso 21st-century Burkinabé people

Biography

See also

References

External links