In a press release, the head of the newly formed Military Committee for Recovery and National Progress (CMRPN), explained that the overthrow of General
Lamizana was made necessary by the political and economic situation in the country, "characterized by the deterioration of the social climate and all sectors of national life." He also promised to put an end to corruption and to restore the economy. The initiative was rather well received by the Voltaic people. The traditional chiefs "believe that the event constitutes an unexpected opportunity for the country and for the people, whose antagonistic divisions of all kinds […] dangerously and daily compromised national harmony." Economically,
Upper Volta, whose gross domestic product relies almost exclusively on the agricultural sector and which sends several hundred thousand of its citizens to seek work abroad, unable to find any, suffered in 1980 from a severe drought that burned crops. Finally, on the political front,
nepotism and the personalization of party life have become such phenomena that they prevent the sound management of the country's affairs. The regime's ruling body, the Military Committee for Reform and National Progress (CMRPN), promptly indicated its intention to radically break with past practices and policies and to initiate bold reforms such as financial and budgetary austerity, moralization of the public service, and
rationalization of the management of
state enterprises. Upon his accession to power, Zerbo promised to put an end to the corruption that was undermining the country. Within the National Council of the Armed Forces, he called upon young officers
Thomas Sankara,
Blaise Compaoré, and
Henri Zongo to assist him (If
Jean-Baptiste Boukary Lingani and
Gabriel Somé Yorian assisted him is unknown). But the colonel quickly took unpopular measures. The head of state refused to engage with political leaders, froze salaries, and suspended the right to strike. For the people of
Upper Volta, accustomed to listening to their union leaders, this was the final straw.
Compaoré resigned from his office because of the failure of the planned and improvised policies. Tired of Zerbo's abuses of power, his closest collaborators also distanced themselves from the head of state.
Thomas Sankara, then Secretary of State for Information, resoundingly resigned in May 1982: "Woe to those who gag their people!" he declared, followed shortly after by Captains
Zongo and
Compaoré. Captain
Zongo and Captain
Sankara did the same.
Sankara resigned on April 12, 1982, making his action the focus of media attention. Henri Zongo had preceded him a mere week earlier, on April 8, 1982. The trio were arrested and exiled far from the capital. The government of Zerbo was more interventionist than the Lamizana government, similar to the government of his successor
Ouédraogo. Main differences between the economic policies of Zerbo and Ouédraogo were that Ouédrago was a supporter of
private ownership for businesses, which could be explained that he saw himself as a "liberal and sincere democrat". == References ==