Warlords, otherwise known as military commanders are mostly aggressive in their dealings. They are known to be dictators and most of them have committed a lot of crimes against their people and countries.
Warlords like Idi Amin, Charles Taylor, and Muammar Qadhafi have been at the forefront of these known notorious leaders who have been aggressive in their dealings with their people and even outsiders. However, there are others that we would be looking at.
Here are Some of Africa’s Most Notorious Warlords
11. Bosco Ntanganda – Rwanda
This Rwandan warlord was nicknamed ‘The Terminator’ and was initially supposed to be a ‘warlord for rent’. He was conscripted to help overthrow the government led by the Hutu. Subsequently, after achieving his goal, he rose to the rank of head of the DRC military and went on to overthrow the government of Congo.
While he was in active service, Bosco was responsible for as many as 80,000 deaths and violated many human rights. When he was finally arrested and convicted, the war crimes charges against him were about 18.
On July 8, 2019, the Rwandan dictator and military head was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment by the International Criminal Court.
10. Thomas Lubanga Dyilo – Congo
Known to be the founder of the Union of Congolese Patriots, Thomas Lubanga Dyilo was the first person to be convicted by the ICC for a lot of atrocities ranging from murder, rape, ethnic massacres, and even child soldier recruits.
Thomas and the rebels who worked for him were responsible for over 60,000 deaths while his terror reign lasted. In addition to those, he was responsible for torturing and mutilating people.
He was arrested in March 2006 and his trial began on January 26, 2009, 3 years later. He was found guilty of the war crime of conscripting and enlisting children under the age of 15 as part of his atrocious activities. Thomas was to serve 30 years in prison.
in March 2020, after serving 14 years jail term, the former warlord was released from prison.
9. Joshua Blahyi – Liberia
Popularly referred to as ‘General Butt Naked’ this military man began his military career in 1991 and throughout his few active years in service, he perpetuated a good number of atrocities. He is an evangelical preacher who is best known for the part he played during the First Liberian Civil War.
He was born on September 30, 1971, in Monrovia, Liberia, and by 1996 he converted to Christianity but this was after he led soldiers to fight on the side of the rebel group ULIMO.
Joshua is known as General Butt Naked because, in the civil war that broke out in 1989, he and his soldiers fought without clothing and in the process, carried out a lot of despicable acts which included child sacrifice and cannibalism.
Blahyi confessed to killing over 20,000 people during his reign as a warlord. He confessed to this in 2008 at the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission and this got him a lot of attention. However, he had repented at this time after claiming to have received a vision from Jesus.
8. Jean Kambanda – Rwanda
Born on October 19, 1955, Jean Kambanda of Rwanda was a politician, banker, and one-time prime minister. He was born in Huye, Rwanda.
While he served as prime minister, Rwanda witnessed a genocide that began in 1994 known as the Rwandan Genocide.
He has however remained the only head of state to confess and plead guilty to genocide. This confession was retracted but the retraction did not stand in court.
Kambanda was arrested on July 18, 1997, 3 years after the genocide started, in Nairobi. He was accused of several offenses against humanity which ranged from genocide and agreement to commit genocide, to incitement, and failure to prevent the genocide.
Kambanda was sentenced to life imprisonment on September 4, 1998, and has so far served 23 years in the Koulikoro Prison located in Mali.
7. Omar Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir – Sudan
This former Sudanese military officer was the first sitting head of state to be indicted by the ICC for allegedly instigating and directing a massacre, rape, and pillage of the citizens of Darfur.
He has been accused of overseeing the war in Darfur that caused the death of over 10,000 people. His reign as president saw the displacement of over 2.5 million people from Darfur due to guerrilla warfare.
In 2008, he was accused of crimes such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Subsequently, in 2009 and 2010, warrants for his arrest were put out following his alleged crimes against humanity.
During this period, he was at large and resisted arrest.
Eventually, on April 11, 2019, al-Bashir was stripped of his position in the Sudanese Armed Forces and placed on house arrest but a few days later, he was moved to the capital’s Kobar Prison.
By May 13 of the same year, Omar al-Bashir was charged with participating in and inciting the killing of protesters. In the subsequent months, he faced trials for corruption and money laundering charges.
From then to 2020, this former warlord had been tried for many other crimes he committed even before he got into power.
Following fighting between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, there was a prison break at the Kobar Prison where he was held. Fears that Omar could be at large again, engulfed the Sudanese people but their fears were allayed by the military. It was revealed by the army that Omar al-Bashir was transferred from the prison to the army hospital. However, they failed to provide proof of this.
6. Gnassigbe Eyadema – Togo
He was the 3rd president of Togo and was born on December 26, 1935. His reign lasted from 1967 to 2005 and he was succeeded by his son Faure Gnassingbe. He held the title of the longest-serving leader in Africa until his death in 2005.
Gnassigbe was the leader of the coup that ousted President Sylvanus Olympio who was killed during the attack. It has been speculated that Eyadema who later ruled the country of Togo till his death, was the one who killed Sylvanus.
He is part of the top warlords Africa has seen given that he remained in leadership from 1967 till his death as no one could overthrow him. Even after his death, his son was installed and continued his legacy.
5. Jean-Bedel Bokassa – Central African Republic
He served as the 2nd president of the Central African Republic and the emperor of its successor state. Jean-Bedel was born on February 22, 1921, and saw World War II and the Indonesian war.
He first tasted power after being part of the coup in 1966. Bokassa was president of the CAE for 11 years and when he became Emperor, he served for 3 years.
He was overthrown in 1979 and went into exile. However, he was tried in absentia and sentenced to death. His crimes bordered on the murder of several political rivals. Upon his return to the CAE on October 24, 1986, Jean-Bedel was arrested and tried on 14 different counts including treason, murder, cannibalism, and embezzlement.
His sentence of death was revoked two years later and then eventually reduced to 20 years. However, after the installation of a democratic government, prisoners were granted pardons and released.
On November 3, 1996, Jean-Bedel Bokassa died of a heart attack in his Bangui home. He was 75 years old at the time of his death.
4. Joseph Rao Kony – Uganda
Joesph Rao Kony is infamous for his nefarious acts as a militant who founded a Christian fundamentalist organization the UN described as a terrorist group.
He led this rebel group insisting that he and his organization were fighting for the 10 Commandments. Believing himself to be a spirit medium, Kony recruited child soldiers and told them that the sign of the cross drawn on their chest with oil would prevent bullet penetration and evil spirits.
Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army were accused of crimes such as the killing of over 100,000 people, abduction of about 60,000 children, rape of young girls, and abducting young females as s*x slaves.
In October 2006, the ICC stated that there was an arrest warrant for 5 of the LRA members comprising Joseph, his deputy, and other commanders. He and some of his members have been on the run since then.
For over 10 years, Kony and his soldiers were on the run from several governments including that of Uganda, the United States, and even the United Nations. However, following the surrender of Dominic Ongwen who was a key member of the LRA, the movement suffered a huge blow and loss.
By 2017, they stopped posing as a threat to the government of Uganda as their soldiers had reduced drastically.
3. Charles Taylor – Liberia
This former leader of Liberia was born Charles McArthur Taylor on January 28, 1948. He is one of the top African dictators who have a reputation for large numbers of massacred people.
He was the leader of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia which was a rebel group based in Ivory Coast. Under his watch, his group killed as many as 200,000 Liberians during the Liberian Civil War which lasted for about 7 years.
In 1985, he was charged with corrupt practices in the United States of America. However, this did not prevent his continuous desire to be president of Liberia.
At the end of the civil war in 1997, Charles Taylor was made the president of Liberia after he threatened that if he wasn’t made president, he would continue the war.
Another civil war broke out in 2003 and this saw the end of his rule as the leader of the country. He then went into exile but is currently serving time at the HM Prison Frankland after he was eventually caught.
His charges all bordered on crimes against humanity especially the massacre during the civil war.
2. Muammar Qadhafi – Libya
Quadhafi was the leader of Libya from 1969 till 2011 when a civil war that emanated from a protest, forced him to relinquish his power.
While he dominated the country, he possessed chemical weapons, allegedly supported terrorists, and was involved in the bombing of a Berlin dance hall that killed 3 people and injured many.
Accusations labeled against this warlord are quite numerous and he is also responsible for Libya going to war with countries such as Chad, Tanzania, and Egypt.
Muammar was accused of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing that claimed the lives of about 270 people whose plane exploded above Scotland.
He also faced accusations of providing Viagra-like medication to his soldiers. The aim of this was for the troops to rape women. When a revolution started against him, he directed the killings of civilians in order to curb the outreach.
Under Muammar Qadhafi’s dictatorship, Libyans and the world at large lived in great fear. His possession of chemical weapons posed a threat to a lot of countries. Also, he would forever be remembered as one of the most feared dictators to ever walk the earth.
He died on October 20, 2011, and the news of his death was met with different reactions. While former US president, Obama said it meant an end to tyranny in Libya, Prime Minister David Cameron hailed it stating it was a step towards a strong and democratic future for the country.
Read Also: Muammar Gaddafi Children: Who Are They And Where Are They Today?
1. Idi Amin – Uganda
Idi Amin rose to power after seizing it in 1971 and he remained in power for about 8 years. For the period he served as the ruler of Uganda, he earned himself the title ‘The Butcher of Uganda’ because of his brutal nature and acts.
Idi was responsible for the death of over 500,000 people throughout his rulership. Another activity this warlord can be remembered for is the evacuation of the Lango and Acholi people whom he was threatened by.
For years he bragged about defeating the British Empire after they closed their embassy in Uganda following his incessant oppression. With this, he declared himself ‘His Excellency, President forever, Field Marshal Al Hadji, Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC DSO, MC Lord of All the Beasts of the World, Fishes of the Seas, and Victor of the British Empire in Africa generally and Uganda specifically.
Idi Amin died on August 16, 2003, after being in exile and on life support. His life support was unplugged on that day when his family decided to do so.
