Africa's Longest Reigning Leaders in Pictures

Power, they say, is intoxicating. The stories of several African leaders is a pointer to the fact that relinquishing power after the completion of one's ternure can be difficult for several reasons. The story abound of African leaders who manipulate the provisions of their country's constitution to make their continuous stay in office legitimate in the current decomocary-dominated internation system.

SABTECH CAFE has prepared a comprehensive list of the 11 longest reinging African leaders.

Late Emperor King Haile Selassie (Euthopia) — 44 years.
He was ousted from power in 1974.

Late Moamer Kadhafi of Libya, (Libya) — 42
Came to power in 1969 through a coup. He was ousted and killed in 2011 by a rebel movement backed by western warplanes.

Late Omar Bongo Ondimba, (Gabon) — 41 years.
He died in June 2009 and was succeeded by his son, Ali Bongo Ondimba

Teodoro Obiang Nguema (Equatorial Guinea) — 36 years.
He emerged as the president in 1979 through a coup that deposed his uncle.

Jose Eduardo dos Santos (Angola) — 36 years.
Dos Santos has been in power since September 20, 1979. He lead the party which won independence from Portugal in 1975, becoming the country's leader four years after.

Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe) — 35 years.
Mugabe became prime minister in April 1980 and president in 1987. He remains the only living African leader continuously in power since his country’s independence

Paul Biya (Cameroon) — 32 years
Became president on November 6, 1982 after serving seven years as prime minister. In 2008, revised the constitution to remove presidential term limits.

Yoweri Museveni (Uganda) — 29 years.
His reign started in January 1986 after successfully overthrowing the idious regime of Idi Amin Dada, with help from neighbouring Tanzania. He was recently Elected to a fifth term in office in February 2016 in a poll marred by fraud allegations.

King Mswati III (Swaziland) — 29 years.
He asusumed office in April 1986, four years after the death of his father.

Omar al-Bashir (Sudan) —  26 years.
Has ruled since he seized power in a coup in June 1989.

Idriss Deby (Chad) — 25 years.
His reign started in 1990, after the war which ousted the dictator Hissene Habre. He controversially won a fifth term in the April 2016 elections.

It is in the light of this that many consider the decision of former president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of Nigeria to concede defeat in the 2015 general elections as noble and heroic.