Unretiring: Africa’s longest-serving strongmen

The weekly quiz is provided by the Globalist, a daily online feature service that covers issues and trends in globalization. The nonpartisan organization provides commercial services and nonprofit educational features.

Question

On November 21, 2017, Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe resigned, after being in power for 37 years. Prior to his resignation, he was Africa’s second-longest serving leader. We wonder: Which current African leader has ruled his country even longer than Mugabe did?

Answer

A. Paul Biya of Cameroon

B. Yoweri Museveni of Uganda C. Mswati III of Swaziland

D. Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea

A Paul Biya of Cameroon is not

correct: Cameroon’s President Paul Biya is now taking the place of Mugabe as Africa’s second-longest ruling leader. Biya became the country’s powerful president 35 years ago, in November 1982.

The Central African nation, which has Nigeria as its neighbor to the west, was formed out of a merger of former British and former French colonies. It is home to 23 million people. Most of the country’s workers are in agriculture, but Cameroon is an oil-exporting country, too and could become a big cobalt mining nation. Cameroon’s GDP per capita is just $3,200 and it ranks in 151st place globally, according to the IMF. Mugabe became Zimbabwe’s head of state first under the title of prime minister in 1980 — and then as president in 1987, after a constitutional change.

At the age of 93, Mugabe was also Africa’s oldest head of state. A key figure in the country’s war of liberation from white rule, he consolidated power to himself after his election in April 1980.

His tenure has been marked by massacres and purges of opposition figures, party rivals and minority ethnic groups. The most recent purge, intended to help his wife succeed him in power in the future, led to the military’s intervention. Mineral-rich Zimbabwe’s economy has struggled with corruption, misrule and hyperinflation, as well as post-colonial land reforms. For those reasons, its GDP per capita stands at only $2,000, in 166th place worldwide. But the country has bountiful lithium, gold, coal, diamonds and other resources. Excluding royalty, the longest-serving non-African leader is Cambodia’s Hun Sen. He has been ruling his country since 1985 and recently banned the country’s official political opposition party.

Six of the 10 longest-serving world leaders, apart from royals, are from the African continent.

B Yoweri Museveni of Uganda is not

correct: With Mugabe no longer in power, Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni is now the third-longest serving African leader. He led an armed rebellion that ultimately prevailed in January 1986 and effectively ended seven years of chaos in his country that had followed dictator Idi Amin’s downfall. Today, Uganda has a population of 38 million people. They work overwhelmingly in farming, particularly for coffee exports. Eco-tourism also plays an increasing role. But the East African country’s economy remains hampered by poor domestic infrastructure and constant instability in neighboring Congo and South Sudan. Uganda’s GDP per capita ranks 163rd, at just $2,100. Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir is now the fourthlongest serving African leader, excluding royalty. In April 2015, Bashir won a 4th election, in what was widely considered by European governments and the United States to be another rigged poll.

Bashir originally took power in a military coup 28 years ago, in June 1989. Sudan is home to 41 million people. Sudan’s oil-rich economy has had to adjust to the separation from South Sudan, which had most of the oil fields. GDP per capita stands at $4,400 and ranks 136th.

C Mswati III of Swaziland is not

correct: Often overlooked among Africa’s long-time leaders is one absolute monarch who has been in power since the 1980s: King Mswati III of Swaziland. He has exercised absolute rule since April 1986 nearly as long as Uganda’s Museveni over his kingdom of 1.1 million. Swaziland has the world’s 106th-highest GDP per capita, at $9,800. Most of Africa’s traditional monarchies do not hold any state power at all and generally perform local functions or act in customary roles.

D Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea is

correct: The longest serving African leader is oil-rich Equatorial Guinea’s Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. No leader worldwide who is not a royal has served longer. Obiang seized power from his uncle 38 years ago, in a military coup in August 1979.

The country produces a huge volume of oil, earning it a spot among OPEC’s 14 members despite being one of the continent’s smallest nations geographically. But the population of 1.2 million sees little of the revenues, which the ruling family very publicly reserves for itself. Officially, the country has the world’s 30th highest GDP per capita, at $38,600, but the national wealth is not actually distributed that equitably. For many years, Obiang’s tenure in office was trailed by only one month by Jose Eduardo dos Santos, the president of the even more oil-rich nation of Angola. Dos Santos ruled the Central African nation for 38 years to the month from September 1979 until September 2017, when he retired voluntarily. His family and the longtime ruling party remain firmly entrenched. Angola, also an OPEC country, is now home to 28 million people.