Coups and coup leaders are frowned upon everywhere in the world, and men who were involved in failed coups are executed almost all the time. Nonetheless, there are still men who succeeded in truncating democracy, only to later return as democratically elected leaders in some African countries.
The fascinating part of this is that some of these men, including Jerry Rawlings and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, gained recognition for the changes they brought to their countries as civilian leaders. Here’s a look at some African leaders who once seized power through coups and later returned to democratic leadership.
African Leaders Who Ruled as Soldiers and Presidents
1. Jerry John Rawlings (Ghana)
In 1979, Jerry Rawlings, then a flight lieutenant in the Ghana Air Force, led a group of young men in an attempt to overthrow the government of General Fred Akuffo. When it failed, he was sentenced to death but was later freed by a group of soldiers who believed in his cause. He returned and led another coup, which became successful.
Rawlings led the country for a brief period during which he carried out a “house-cleaning” operation that saw to the killing of many politicians and military men in the country. He staged another coup in 1981 and ousted President Hilla Limann, who was only elected two years earlier.
In 1992, he was elected president, and he took office in January 1993 as a democratic president. Rawlings was in power until 2001. He is regarded as one of the best leaders of Ghana.
2. Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria)
After the murder of Nigeria’s head of state, Murtala Muhammed, General Olusegun Obasanjo was brought in to lead the country as the Military Head of State of Nigeria, an offer he reluctantly accepted. Obasanjo led from 1976 to 1979, and then he handed over power to civilians.
He returned two decades later in 1999 to rule the country as elected president. He was in power until 2015 when his second tenure came to an end.
3. Muhammadu Buhari (Nigeria)
Major General Muhammadu Buhari, once considered among Nigeria’s most vile dictators, toppled the civilian rule of Shehu Shagari in 1983, and he became head of state. He was deposed in 1985 by a coup, to the relief of many Nigerians.
Nonetheless, after multiple failed attempts, he returned to power again in 2015 through the ballots after he defeated the then sitting president, Goodluck Jonathan. He was in power until 2023.
See Also: 7 Political Prisoners in Africa Who Became National Heroes
4. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (Egypt)
In 2013, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi led a military coup against the government of Mohamed Morsi, who was accused of pushing for the Islamist agenda while ignoring the hardship faced by Egyptians. While he was considered the most powerful man in the country at the time, Sisi did not make himself head of state, although he is seen as the man who was ruling the country behind the scenes.
He appointed Adly Mansour as interim head of state. From his role as a military leader, Sisi contested for president in 2014 and was elected. He still serves as a democratic leader.
5. Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir (Sudan)
Next in line is Sudan’s former leader, Omar al-Bashir, who led a group of the Sudanese Army to a military coup in 1989. The coup ousted the government of Sadiq al-Mahdi, who was the prime minister at the time. Omar al-Bashir declared himself head of state, bringing an end to the time of Ahmed al-Mirghani in power.
He served as the Head of State until 1993, when he conducted an election and emerged as the president of Sudan. With the move, he joined the list of African leaders who moved from being military leaders to civilian presidents. He was in power until April 2019.
