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Who among the seven longest serving African leaders will be deposed next?
By Isaac Esipisu
Several African leaders watching news of the death of Africa ’s longest serving leader are wondering who among them is next and how they will leave office.
Three of the ten longest serving leaders have fallen this year – Ben Ali of Tunisia ruled for 23 years, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt ruled for 30 years and the longest, the Brother Leader of Libya ruled for 42 years – all gone in the last six months.
Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea (32), Jose Santos of Angola (32), Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe (31), Paul Biya of Cameroon (29) and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda (25), King Mswati III of Swaziland (24), Blaise Campore of Burkina Fasso (24) and still going strong, and must be wondering whose turn is next.
Teodoro and Jose Santos take the number one spot as the longest serving Presidents with 32 years of ruling Equatorial Guinea and Angola respectively and from what has happened in Africa this year and to Gaddafi this week, it is a post neither of them would be proud off right now.
Although the revolts have so far been limited to North Africa, increasingly there are protests against regimes in other African countries. Whether triggered by economic conditions—food and fuel prices, poor job opportunities or service delivery failures, the mass protests are becoming important and have forced policy changes. Slowly but surely, these revolutions are heading south and, unless Africa ’s long-serving leaders pave the way for inclusive governance and relinquish their power, they are increasingly likely to face the same fate as the North African ones.
Dear Isaac Esipisu and all,
Thanks for your comments, thoughts and views. But in my point of view the fall of northern Saharan countries’ leaders shall rather serve as lesson to the others. I would NOT predict who goes next or otherwise, but if the remaining GREAT and everlasting leaders as they call themselves watched all those events in Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Yemen and now Syria then I will rather ADVISE them to change their internal policy.
Because as matter of reality if a leader understand his people by providing them with minimum of needs, jobs, security, good infrastructures and care I can assure them that nothing would happen even if they would like to remain in power for life alike predicted others are now gone…may their souls remain in peace. Unfortunately our African leaders are more likely interested in their power securing rather than the welfare of their populations. Therefore as long Africans eyes are now widely opened by other countries’ developments and grows if they do not act now, then they shall pay the price of their…