Between 2005 and 2012, 11 African leaders have died of natural
causes or Killed while serving as Heads of State. 2012 alone saw the deaths of four
sitting African presidents. These deaths can create instability in their
respective countries and regions, while nations are often thrown into a period
of mourning.
There
are a number of theories about why African leaders are dying in office with
such frequency; however most of them have their critics. The more pertinent
fact is that most of the leaders we looked at were treated in (and in many
cases spent their final moments in) hospitals outside their homeland. This is a
stinging indictment of healthcare on the continent and one wonders if many of
these leaders would still be at the helm if they had access to better
healthcare sooner.
Where
leaders died in office there was usually a period of national mourning and a
fittingly grand state funeral. The most recent deaths of sitting African
leaders have been followed by relatively peaceful transfers of power –
prompting Africans to hope the continent’s democracies have matured in recent
years.
Gnassingbe Eyadema, President of Togo (2005)
Eyadama,
who was 69 at the time of his death, was the president of Togo from 1967 to
2005. He came to power following a coup, and survived several assassination
attempts while in office. He also survived a 1974 plane crash and had a
monument constructed to commemorate his survival. He falsely claimed to be the
only survivor of the clash. The eccentric leader had an entourage who sang and
danced his praises, a comic book depicting him as a superhero and a bronze
statue of his likeness in the capital. In 1998 Ivorian novelist Ahmadou
Kourouma wrote a novel called Waiting For The Wild Beasts To Vote, the
novel was inspired by Eyadema and proved to be a satirical indictment of the
dictator’s rule.
On
5 February 2005, at the time the longest-serving head of state in Africa, he
passed away from a heart attack while on board a plane. He was reportedly on
his way to receive emergency treatment abroad.
John de Mabior Garang, vice-president of Sudan (2005)
Born
on June 23, 1945 at Wagkulei in Jonglei (Sudan). He lost his father at age of
nine and her mother at eleven years. When Sudan gained independence on January 1, 1956, he was only ten years.
In 1970, he joined the Sudanese Armed Forces. The peace agreement signed
between the Anya-Anyas and President Gaafar El-Nimeiri* integrates guerrillas
Anya-Anyas in the regular army. In 1972, he was promoted to the rank of
sergeant. He served respectively in the province of Upper Nile, Bahr el Ghazal,
in Torit Garrison before being assigned to the Military College of Sudan as an
infantry instructor. In 1974, he returned to the United States for military
training at Fort Benning in Georgia, then resumed his studies at Iowa State
University. In 1981, he earned a doctorate in agricultural economics before
returning to Sudan. From 1976 to 1977, he was appointed to the agriculture and
director of military research headquarters in Khartoum, the Sudanese Armed
Forces Military Division. Responsible for bringing the rebels to reason, he becomes their leader
and founded the People's Liberation Movement (S.P.L.M.) and its armed wing: the
People's Liberation Army (S.P.L.A.). His main objective is to secure the
formation of a non-discrimination and the right to self-determination of the
peoples of South Sudan (Dinka, Nuer, Nuba, Shilluk ...) secular government.
On 27 April 2003, under
the auspices of the United States, the People's Liberation Movement signed with
Sudan President Omar Hassan El-Bashir peace agreements at Machakos (Kenya)
providing six years of transition before the referendum self-determination of
South Sudan. On July 9, 2005, he became Vice-President of the Republic soudanise. On
July 31, 2005, back in Kampala, he died in a helicopter crash in southern
Sudan. Since the announcement of his death, riots are 40 dead in Khartoum.
Pascal Yoadimnadji, Prime Minister of Chad (2007)
Yoadimnadji
was only the Prime Minister of the North African nation for two years when he
was felled by a brain haemorrhage in Paris. The former lawyer served as the
head of the National Electoral Commission for two years, a role that saw him
oversee the 1996 presidential election in Chad. Thereafter he served in several
ministerial roles. His portfolios included Minister of Mines, Energy and Oil; Minister
of Tourist Development; Minister of the Environment and Water and Minister of
Agriculture. He also served as the President of the Constitutional Council for
five years until he was appointed Prime Minister by President Idriss Deby.
In
February 2007 Yoadimnadji suffered a heart attack which landed him in a coma.
He was then flown to Paris France, where he later died of a brain haemorrhage.
He passed away at Val de Grace military hospital at the age of 56. His death
was followed by a week of national mourning in Chad.
Lansana Conte, President of Guinea (2008)
In
2008, after 24 years in power Guinea’s second president passed away after years
of battling what is believed to have been heart disease and diabetes. Conte
came to power on 5 April 1984 following a coup. A career soldier Conte served
three years with the French army before he spent more than two decades in the
Guinean Army where he attained the rank of general. His rule started out well
with positive economic reforms; however his rule was increasingly marked by
electoral fraud, popular riots and successive assassination attempts. In
the three years prior to his death he left the country seeking medical care in
Morocco and Switzerland on several occasions. 40 days of national mourning was
declared following his death and his body was displayed at the parliament
buildings and at the national stadium.
Following
his death a military group called National Council for Democracy and
Development seized power and announced their intention of ruling for two years.
Levy Mwanawasa, President of Zambia (2008)
Zambia’s
third president and a highly respected statesman, Mwanawasa died as a result of
complications following a stroke. Mwanawasa was a high profile lawyer before
becoming Vice President in 1991. That same year he was involved in a serious
car accident, reportedly an assassination attempt, which resulted in him being
hospitalised for three months. In 2001, he won an election in order to succeed
corrupt former president Frederick Chiluba. As president Mwanawasa was fearless
in his pursuit of corrupt government officials. His anti-corruption drive drew
a massive amount of debt relief and foreign investment to the country, helping
the country’s economic growth to improve by 6% a year. He was also a vocal
critic of President Robert Mugabe of neighbouring Zimbabwe.
In
July 2008, while attending the African Union summit in Cairo, Mwanawasa was
evacuated to France by air ambulance following a stroke. There were conflicting
reports about his health, with some sources claiming he had died while official
statements claimed he was recovering well. He was reported dead on 19 August,
seven weeks after the stroke. The country went into 21 days of national
mourning.
Vieira, João Bernardo, president of Bissau-Guinea (2009)
Born on April 27, 1939, president of Guinea-Bissau (1980-99, 2005-09). A pioneer of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde, he was sent to Conakry, Guinea, for military training. On his return, he built up a legendary reputation for skill and bravery as a guerrilla leader in the long war against the Portuguese. In 1961 he went on a guerrilla instruction course to China and later received further training in the U.S.S.R., Algeria, and Cuba. Military chief of Catió (1961-64) and of the southern front (1964-65), he developed tactics that were a key factor in defeating the Portuguese. After Guinea-Bissau became independent in 1974, he was appointed state commissioner for the armed forces and president of the National Assembly. In 1978 he became prime minister. On Nov. 14, 1980, two days after the Assembly had adopted a new constitution that virtually denuded the office of premier of its powers, he led a coup that overthrew Pres. Luís de Almeida Cabral. It was seen as a move by the blacks of the mainland to separate themselves from the mestizo-dominated Cape Verdians. It took some time for him to establish his position firmly; this was greatly helped after he released Cabral from prison in January 1982. He legalized opposition parties in 1991 and legitimized his rule in Guinea-Bissau's first multiparty elections in 1994. A period of instability led to an army rebellion in June 1998 and eight months of fighting between loyalists of Vieira and the army chief, Gen. Ansumane Mané, who overthrew Vieira in 1999. He then lived in exile in Portugal but returned April 7, 2005, to be an independent presidential candidate in the June 19 elections. He came second in the first round but won the runoff on July 24. He was killed in his palace by renegade soldiers in 2009.
Omar Bongo Ondimba, President of Gabon (2009)
Bongo,
who had served as president of Gabon for 41 years at the time of his death in
2009, was a petite stylish man. Gabon was ruled by his regime until 1990 when
he conceded to public pressure and introduced multi-party politics. For most of
his rule Bongo had a close relationship with Gabon’s former colonial masters
France. He managed to bring many opposition leaders on board, sometimes by
negotiation but mostly by bribing them with a slice of the nation’s vast Oil
wealth. Bongo reportedly rigged elections in 1993, 1998 and 2005; although by
2005 the opposition was lacklustre. His 41-year rule is the fifth longest for a
non-royal national leader since 1870. In 2009 he was found to have 33
properties in France with a combined value of more than 125 million pounds in
addition to 86 million pounds in US bank accounts.
In
2009 reports emerged that Bongo was receiving treatment for cancer in a
hospital in Barcelona. According to an official statement from the Gabonese
Prime Minister Bongo died of a heart attack on 8 June 2009. His body lay in
state for five days before his state funeral on 16 June.
Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, President of Nigeria (2010)
In
office for just shy of three years, Nigerian President Yar’Adua passed away
aged 58 after receiving treatment for pericarditis in Saudi Arabia. Yar’Adua
came to power following the controversial elections in 2007. He was the first
Nigerian leader in 40 years to have been University educated with a B.Sc.
degree in Education and Chemistry as well as a M.Sc. degree in Analytical
Chemistry. He went on to become a chemistry teacher, before holding various
board positions in the corporate world. He became involved in politics in the
80s and won his first position in 1998. Yar’Adua won 70% of the vote in the
2007 presidential election; however observers and opposition parties vehemently
claimed the election had been rigged in his favour. While president of Nigeria
he gained the scornful nickname Baba-go-slow, however the quiet
chain-smoker was also responsible for targeting corruption and reforming
banking in Nigeria. He also negotiated a ceasefire in the troubled delta
region.
His
presidency was marked by ill-health with several visits to Germany and Saudi
Arabia for treatment of a chronic kidney condition. He returned to Nigeria in
February while reportedly on life support and passed away on 5 May. Seven days
of national mourning were observed following his death.
Malam Bacai Sanha, President of Guinea Bissau
(2012)
Following
two and a half years in office, Guinea Bissau president Malam Bacai Sanha died
in Paris aged 64. Sanha was a prominent figure in the West African country’s
liberation struggle after he joined the African Party of Independence of Guinea
and Cape Verde (PAIGC) as a teenager. He started his political career as a
governor in the Gabu and Biombo regions. He went on to hold down several
cabinet positions. He was appointed acting president of Guinea Bissau from 14
May 1999-17 February 2000 by a military junta following a Civil War as a result
of his critical stance on former president Joao Bernardo Vieira. He won the
2009 presidential elections and immediately introduced reforms to tackle the
cocaine trade. This resulted in an attempted coup. Following the coup he was
forced to accept one of the leaders of the rebellion, Bubo Na Tchuto, as head
of the navy – this was despite Tchuto being named one of the stalwarts of the
cocaine trade in Guinea Bissau.
His
struggled with diabetes throughout his presidency, and a stint in a Senegalese
hospital was followed by treatment in the Val-de-Grace military hospital in
Paris. He passed away in the French hospital on 9 January 2012.
Bingu wa Mutharika, President of Malawi (2012)
Malawi
president Bingu wa Mutharika passed away on 5 April 2012 aged 78 after just
under eight years in the top job. Mutharika had a distinguished career as an
economist, working as a Loans Officer at the World Bank as well as a Director
of Trade and Development Finance at the United Nations Economic Commission of
Africa, and as Secretary General of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern
Africa (CO.M.E.S.A.). Mutharika was believed to have ambitions of holding the
presidency for decades before, he ascended to the top job. He
launched a failed presidential bid in 1999, although five years later he managed
to secure the presidency and was re-elected in 2009. During his first term
Mutharika was a glowing example of good governance as he spearheaded ambitious
agricultural initiatives, overhauled Malawi’s foreign policy and promised
political reforms. He was also the chairman of the African Union from 31
January 2010 -31 January 2011. In 2010, his behaviour grew erratic and
repressive, growing intolerant towards critics and seeking constitutional
reforms in order to secure a third term as president. At this time Malawi was
being hit hard by the global recession, and inflation had risen to triple
figures. Following the deaths of 18 protesters at the hands of soldiers and
police firing live bullets at a demonstration, international donors removed aid
to the nation.
Mutharika
died on 5 April 2012 in a South African hospital, however his death was only
officially confirmed two days later when Vice-President Joyce Banda was sworn
in as Malawi’s president.
John Atta Mills, President of Ghana (2012)
Ghanaian
president John Atta Mills passed away aged 68 on 24 July 2012. Mills had a long
and distinguished academic career. He earned a law degree from the University
of Ghana, an LLM from the London School of Economics followed by a doctorate
from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.
He
was also a Fulbright scholar at Stanford University. Mills played for the
national hockey team, and he was an avid football fan. He then became a
Professor of Law at the University of Ghana. He served two terms as
Vice-President of Ghana, serving under Jerry Rawlings. He stood for two
presidential elections, in 2000 and 2004, but was unsuccessful on both
occasions. Finally in 2008 the man affectionately known as ‘The Prof’ or won
the election by a margin of less than one percent and was inaugurated the
following year. He started an austerity programme and oversaw Ghana’s first
commercial oil production.
Throughout
his presidency there were rumours of his death, with Mills even joking that
such rumours were ‘exaggerated’. He travelled to the U.S.A. for treatment for
throat cancer earlier in 2012, before passing away on 24 July 2012 at the 37
Military Hospital in Accra. His
body lay in state for three days before a state funeral which was attended by
numerous international dignitaries as well as over 50 000 people. The following
day was declared a national day or mourning and it is estimated that the
funeral drew a television and online audience of well over 20 million people.
__________________________________
Based on the Article of Kate Hodges, published in Nigeria Intel on January 10, 2013.
