1980 Upper Voltan coup d'état up against the President, which caused the 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état, in which Lieutenant Colonel Sangoulé Lamizana took power. This marked the beginning of a long era of military rule in Upper Volta and later Burkina Faso. Lamizana would go on to rule the country as a military dictator until the Upper Voltan presidential election in 1978, when he was elected as the leader of a civilian regime. During the 1970s, the Lamizana government faced many problems, among them continued opposition from the trade unions, the rise of new political opposition groups, a strong Sahel drought, increasing desertification, and
Volta Grande Volta Grande which is part of the Paraiba do Sul river basin. The town originated from a village formed in 1835 and was elevated to a district of the municipality of Alem Paraíba in 1891. Emancipation came in 1938. It is the birthplace of film director Humberto Mauro. Volta Grande Volta Grande is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Minas Gerais. As of 2004 its population was estimated to be 5,118. Volta Grande is located in the Zona da Mata mesoregion of Minas Gerais near the border with the state of Rio de Janeiro. The city is by road