African Leaders - Despots and Democratic

[arghton 6,114]

South Sudan's "founding father", first post-independence (2011) President and despot Salva Kiir Mayardit (1951-) will be 70 tomorrow. Here a couple of days ago:

 

There are two pre-independence leaders of Autonomous South Sudan:

 

Abel Alier (1933-) First President of the High Executive Council of South Sudan (Head of State) 1972-1978 and 1980-1981. Seems to still be active in politics.

 

Joseph Lagu (1931-) I've mentioned him before here as he was the leader of Anyanya in the 70s. Wife died in London from covid a while ago, Lagu survived. President of the High Executive Council for a year, 1978-1979.

[arghton 6,114]

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/miscellaneous/djibouti-president-73-returns-home-after-ho-1354490.html

https://news.yahoo.com/djibouti-says-rumours-presidents-health-134853119.html

Djibouti's President since 1999 after his uncle retired, 73-year old Ismaïl Omar Guelleh who recently won the elections with 97.30% of the votes has returned home after a mystery visit in France. Prime Minister saying that this was because of "overwork" but the visit was likely health-related. IOG has never looked like the picture of health.

[arghton 6,114]

On 26/07/2021 at 20:59, arghton said:

Tunisia's current president Kais Saied (b. 1958) who has recently suspended the parliament, kicked the prime minister and given himself more power looks like he's already dead. No wonder he's often called "robot" for not only looking like a corpse but also his drowsiness and how he always looks somewhat emotionless.

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/tunisia-president-takes-new-powers-says-will-reform-system-2021-09-22/

Will rule by decree, now "officially" a dictator. 

 

Living Presidents of Tunisia:

Fouad Mebazaa (1933-) 3rd President January-December 2011 after Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country. Ben Ali's Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies. Essebsi was Mebazaa's Prime Minister.

Moncef Marzouki (1945-) 4th President 2011-2014. Looks great for his age.

Mohamed Ennaceur (1934-) 6th President July-October 2019 after Essebsi's death. "In poor health" in 2019, however apparently bounced back and looked better than Saied when they met in March 2021.

Kais Saied (1958-) 7th and current President since 2019, the living dead.

 

Living Prime Ministers from before the Arab Spring:

Rachid Sfar (1933-2023) 4th Prime Minister 1986-1987. Habib Bourguiba's (1903-2000) last living Prime Minister, 87-year old Bourguiba sacked him in October 1987 and replaced him with Abidine Ben Ali, who became the dictator after deposing Bourguiba a month later.

Mohamed Ghannouchi (1941-) 8th Prime Minister 1999-2011. Technocrat often called "Mr. Oui Oui" by Tunisians for always obeying Ben Ali and also Ben Ali's last and last living Prime Minister. Current whereabouts unknown after the Arab Spring.

[alt obits guy 3,091]

Col. Theoneste Bagosora, who played a key role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, has died. He was 80.  Bagosora has been jailed since 2012. He had been serving a 35 year sentence.

 

https://www.bbc.com/gahuza/amakuru-58693942

(Kinyarwandan obit - English one to be added.)

 

Edit: https://www.ktpress.rw/2021/09/genocide-convict-theoneste-bagosora-dead/

[Bluee 6]

Charles Taylor is Still alive in he not been picked on DDp in 9 years

[arghton 6,114]

https://www.thecable.ng/icymi-ibrahim-kefas-ex-military-administrator-of-delta-and-cross-river-is-dead

Ibrahim Kefas, Nigerian administrator of Delta and Cross River State during the regime of kleptocratic military leader Sani Abacha (1943-1998) has died aged 73.

Almost killed nineteen years ago during a rally. 

[arghton 6,114]

On 06/09/2021 at 18:44, arghton said:

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/05/africa/guinea-coup-intl/index.html

Alpha Conde arrested, former ministers and heads of institutions summoned to a meeting a couple of hours ago.

 

"We want to reassure the national and international community, the physical and moral integrity of former President (Alpha Conde) is not threatened.

We took all the necessary measures for him to have access to medical care and to be in touch with his physicians."

Coup condemned by the African Union and UN's Guterres, both calling for Conde's immediate release. Coup leader, former French legionnaire Mamady Doumbouya has said that a new government will be formed soon, but this could have the same result as the one in Mali...

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58761621

Mamady Doumbouya sworn in as interim president a few days ago.

Has announced plans to "refound the state" through a new constitution, introducing "free, credible and transparent" elections and respecting "all the national and international commitments to which the country has subscribed"...

[arghton 6,114]

On 26/04/2021 at 22:54, arghton said:

Republic of Congo...

Alive Presidents:

Denis Sassou Nguesso (b. 1943) President/dictator 1979-1992 and 1997-.

 

Alive Vice Presidents:

Ange-Édouard Poungui (b. 1942) VP 1972-1973

Denis Sassou Nguesso (b. 1943) VP 1977-1979 with Goma

Louis-Sylvain Goma (b. 1941) VP 1977-1979 with Nguesso

 

Alive Prime Ministers:

Henri Lopes (b. 1937) Prime Minister 1973-1975

Louis Sylvain Goma (b. 1941) Prime Minister 1975-1984

Ange-Édouard Poungui (b. 1942) Prime Minister 1984-1989

Alphonse Poaty-Souchlaty (b. 1941) Prime Minister 1989-1990

Pierre Moussa (b. 1941) Prime Minister 1990-1991

Louis Sylvain Goma (b. 1941) Prime Minister again 1991

Isidore Mvouba (b. 1954) Prime Minister 2005-2009

Clément Mouamba (b. 1944) Prime Minister 2016-

 

How long until they're all dead? I'd say around 10-15 years, maybe less.

https://www.rfi.fr/fr/en-bref/20211029-congo-brazzaville-l-ancien-premier-ministre-clément-mouamba-est-mort

Dead. Also, wasn't in office anymore, he resigned in May.

 

https://www.facebook.com/CongoMorning/posts/1277484429386403

Apparently caught covid. He was vaccinated twice with Sinovac.

[alt obits guy 3,091]

Brig Fadhul Ali, who served in Idi Amin's army beginning in 1971, was governor of Northern Province and Minister for Provincial Administration, was later arrested when President Museveni took over, then sentenced to life imprisonment before being pardoned in 2009 by President Museveni, has died. He was 81.

 

https://edge.ug/2021/11/03/idi-amin-aid-dies-at-81/

[arghton 6,114]

On 10/11/2020 at 11:53, Thatcher said:

Amadou Toumani Touré, President of Mali 2002-2012 before being ousted in a coup, has died age 72.

 

Obituaries: Daily Mail

https://www.financialafrik.com/2021/11/07/mali-deces-de-lex-premier-ministre-cisse-mariam-kaidama-sidibe/

Cissé Mariam Kaïdama Sidibé, ATT's last Prime Minister who was also ousted in that same coup on the 22nd of March 2012 has died at 73.

Also the first female Prime Minister of Mali.

[roaming_comrade 454]

https://www.voanews.com/a/cameroon-paul-biya-marks-39-years-in-power/6302673.html

Paul Biya, Prime Minister (1975-82) and President since 1982 has his supporters seemingly move for another term for him when his current term ends in 2025. He will be 92 years old then and running for a 7-year term.

Seems like a Mugabe parallel to me. He also has no clear successor so the army might step in (theres also a Ethnic Civil War going on so they have some power already so the army has the national security excuse). 

Mugabe was also couped a year before he wanted to go for yet another term, so Paul Biya may be someone to watch in the next few years.

[arghton 6,114]

6 minutes ago, roaming_comrade said:

https://www.voanews.com/a/cameroon-paul-biya-marks-39-years-in-power/6302673.html

Paul Biya, Prime Minister (1975-82) and President since 1982 has his supporters seemingly move for another term for him when his current term ends in 2025. He will be 92 years old then and running for a 7-year term.

Seems like a Mugabe parallel to me. He also has no clear successor so the army might step in (theres also a Ethnic Civil War going on so they have some power already so the army has the national security excuse). 

Mugabe was also couped a year before he wanted to go for yet another term, so Paul Biya may be someone to watch in the next few years.

Comparing the two:

 

Biya has been in power over 46 years, 39 as President.

Mugabe was in power for 37 years, 29 as President.

Also, Biya seems to be in much better condition than Mugabe was at his age, however things might change, even before 2025.

 

 

Biya's main advantage (and maybe also disadvantage) is how almost all of the main positions in the country are held by octogenarians. When he either dies or gets kicked out, here's who might succeed him (IF still alive when that happens):

 

René Claude Meka (ca. 1938/1939-) Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces since 2001. Looks ancient but can still walk, could go before Biya though.

Joseph Ngute (1954-) Prime Minister since 2019.

Chantal Biya (1970-) First Lady since 1994, Biya was widowed from her first first lady in 1992. Paul once imprisoned a journalist for making a book about her, probably has some power behind the scenes.

Marcel Niat Njifenji (1934-) President of the Senate since 2013. According to the constitution, when Biya dies this guy will succeed him.

Cavayé Yéguié Djibril (ca. 1940-) President of the National Assembly since 1992. Along with Njifenji, always re-elected.

And there's always the children:

Franck Biya (1971-) Groups have called for him to succeed his father but Franck doesn't seem to have any political experience and has said that he isn't associated with "Franckists" who want him to succeed his father.

Brenda Biya (1998-) Biya's zoomer daughter, smoker and likely drug user with Graves' disease who has reportedly recently disowned her family on snapchat is a very unlikely candidate for President unless something happens to both Paul and Chantal.

A revolution is also a possibility, I'd say.

[Ulitzer95 10,975]

27 minutes ago, arghton said:

 

Marcel Niat Njifenji (1934-) President of the Senate since 2013. According to the constitution, when Biya dies this guy will succeed him.

Hold on a minute. Was Jackie Stallone's death actually an elaborate hoax?

[The Old Crem 3,164]

5 hours ago, roaming_comrade said:

https://www.voanews.com/a/cameroon-paul-biya-marks-39-years-in-power/6302673.html

Paul Biya, Prime Minister (1975-82) and President since 1982 has his supporters seemingly move for another term for him when his current term ends in 2025. He will be 92 years old then and running for a 7-year term.

Seems like a Mugabe parallel to me. He also has no clear successor so the army might step in (theres also a Ethnic Civil War going on so they have some power already so the army has the national security excuse). 

Mugabe was also couped a year before he wanted to go for yet another term, so Paul Biya may be someone to watch in the next few years.

It’s interesting that Cameroon has many more people than Zimbabwe but this guy has zero chance of ever making the death list even if he makes it well into his 90’s. And if dies out of office he might not even properly obit bar coverage of any funreal. 

[arghton 6,114]

Mwai Kibaki, President of Kenya after arap Moi is 90 today.

 

There's an interview of his 105-year old sister and only living sibling, Esther Waitherero on The Standard Kenya.

Can't find any new pictures or videos of him though.

[drol 10,037]

9 hours ago, arghton said:

Mwai Kibaki, President of Kenya after arap Moi is 90 today.

 

There's an interview of his 105-year old sister and only living sibling, Esther Waitherero on The Standard Kenya.

Can't find any new pictures or videos of him though.

He looks so...alive.

[arghton 6,114]

https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2021-11-16-jacob-zuma-in-hospital-for-regular-check-up-family-confirms/

Jacob Zuma hospitalized for checkup. 

Close source saying that "Although I'm not sure about the seriousness, he is sick. But that man is a survivor, he will pull through."

[drol 10,037]

On 16/11/2021 at 11:18, arghton said:

https://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2021-11-16-jacob-zuma-in-hospital-for-regular-check-up-family-confirms/

Jacob Zuma hospitalized for checkup. 

Close source saying that "Although I'm not sure about the seriousness, he is sick. But that man is a survivor, he will pull through."

Zuma is terminally ill according to his lawyer.

[gcreptile 10,216]

2 hours ago, drol said:

Zuma is terminally ill according to his lawyer.

His terminal illness: life.

[arghton 6,114]

https://www.letemps.ch/monde/president-congolais-parti-suisse-bord-dun-luxueux-avion

Denis Sassou Nguesso was in Switzerland for medical treatment in September according to this.

[arghton 6,114]

https://www.channelstv.com/2021/12/12/soun-of-ogbomoso-jimoh-oyewumi-dies/

Jimoh Oyewumi, Ajagungbade III, Soun of Ogbomosho (Nigerian traditional ruler) 1973-2021 dead at 95. Apparently wasn't a "major" traditional monarch, but he was the longest-ruling Soun in history. 

[Thatcher 2,123]

Attempts of a coup seemingly underway in Libya. The Prime Minister’s quarters currently besieged.

 

Update: militia groups claiming the Presidential election scheduled for this month now cancelled.

[The Old Crem 3,164]

1 hour ago, Thatcher said:

Attempts of a coup seemingly underway in Libya. The Prime Minister’s quarters currently besieged.

 

Update: militia groups claiming the Presidential election scheduled for this month now cancelled.

Maybe things were better with Gaddafi.

[Bentrovato 990]

The King of Abomey, Kefa Sagbadjou Glele, has passed away. His predecessors ruled Dahomey, now part of modern Benin.  Kêfa Sagbadjou Glèlè: Monarch of once-powerful West African kingdom dies - BBC News

 

[Bentrovato 990]

Some beautiful, or maybe not so, people who have passed.  Notable African deaths of 2021: From 'Ethiopia's Elvis' to mega pastors - BBC News