Maurice Yaméogo President
Maurice Yaméogo (December 31, 1921 – September 15, 1993) was the first President of the Republic of Upper Volta, now called Burkina Faso. He proclaimed the independence of the country on August 5, 1960 and also tried (but failed) to create a union between Cote d'Ivoire and Upper Volta. On January 3, 1966, he left the Presidency because of a nation-wide syndicalist strike.
