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Meet Africa’s Seven Youngest Presidents, Military Leaders [Age, PHOTOS]

Published

2 months ago

April 2, 2024

Editor

Africa, the second largest continent is gaining prominence in producing the youngest democratically elected presidents and military leaders to govern its countries.

This trend is replacing the experience of past years in which the continent was ruled by old and aged people who completed many terms of office.

While African countries still have old presidents in office, there has been an offshoot of young but, brave minds holding the reins of power.

As the continent has experienced those who took over power with guns, some were elected by the people, with the latest happening in Senegal.

This article presents you the current seven youngest African leaders under the age of 50:

1. Ibrahim Traoré, Burkina Faso (Age 36)

Ibrahim Traoré has been the military and interim leader of Burkina Faso since 30 September 2022. Traoré ousted the former interim president Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba through a coup d’etat at the age of 34. Born on 14 March 1988, Traoré is a 36-year-old Burkinabe leader and currently the youngest serving president in Africa.

2. Mahamat Deby, Chad (Age 39)

Mahamat Idriss “Kaka” Déby Itno is a four-star military general serving as the transitional president of Chad. He was born on April 4, 1984. He gained power as the president of the Transitional Military Council on 20 April 2021. He ascended into power when his father, the late Chadian President Idriss Déby, died in action while commanding troops in the Northern Chad offensive. He is the second youngest serving African leader.

3. Assimi Goïta, Mali (Age 41)

Assimi Goïta is a military officer who has been interim President of Mali since 28 May 2021. Goïta became the Malian leader following the military takeover he led against former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta in 2020. He was the leader of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People. Goita was born in 1983, and being 41, he is the third youngest serving African leader.

4. Mamady Doumbouya, Guinea (Age 44)

Mamady Doumbouya is a military officer serving as the interim president of Guinea since 1 October 2021. Doumbouya led a coup d’état on 5 September 2021 that ousted the previous president, Alpha Condé. He is a member of the Special Forces Group of the Guinean military and a former French legionnaire. He was born on March 4, 1980, which makes him the fourth youngest leader on the African continent.

5. Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Senegal (Age 44)

Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye is the fifth and current President of Senegal sworn in on April 2, 2024. He is a lawyer, tax inspector, and politician who ran for the office of the president in place of disqualified candidate Ousmane Sonko. He was born on March 25, 1980. Faye is Africa’s youngest democratically elected president and fifth youngest leader on the dark continent.

6. Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia (Age 47)

Abiy Ahmed is a politician serving as the third Prime Minister of Ethiopia since 2018. He has been the leader of the Prosperity Party since 2019. Ahmed is a computer engineer and military officer. He was awarded the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize “for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea”. Ahmed was born on 15 August 1976, and he is the sixth youngest African leader.

7. Andry Rajoelina, Madagascar (Age 49)

Andry Nirina Rajoelina is a Malagasy-French politician and businessman who has served as president of Madagascar since 2019. He was president of a provisional government from 2009 to 2014 following a political crisis and military-backed coup. He once held the office of Mayor of Antananarivo for one year. Before venturing into politics, Rajoelina was a media and advertising entrepreneur. He was born on 30 May 1974 and is currently the seventh youngest African leader.

Source: Vanguard

Headline

Iran Gets Interim President After Raisi’s Death

Published

2 hours ago

May 20, 2024

Editor

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei assigned vice president Mohammad Mokhber to assume interim duties after the death of president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash a day earlier.

“In accordance with Article 131 of the constitution, Mokhber is in charge of leading the executive branch,” said Khamenei in a statement, adding that Mokhber will be required to work with the heads of legislative and judicial branches to prepare for presidential elections “within a maximum period of 50 days”.

Recall that President Raisi was confirmed dead on Monday after his helicopter crashed in a mountainous region of the country.

Raisi was travelling with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian who also died in the accident.

Rescue teams had been scouring the area since Sunday afternoon after a helicopter carrying Raisi, the foreign minister and other officials had gone missing.

Early Monday, relief workers located the missing helicopter, with state TV saying the president had died.

“The servant of Iranian nation, Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi has achieved the highest level of martyrdom whilst serving the people,” state television said Monday, with Mehr news agency also saying he was dead.

State television broadcast photos of Raisi, with the voice of a man reciting the Koran playing in the background.

Iran’s vice president for executive affairs Mohsen Mansouri posted on X a Koranic verse used to express condolences.

Meanwhile, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has announced a five days of mourning for President Raisi.

“I announce five days of public mourning and offer my condolences to the dear people of Iran,” said Khamenei in an official statement a day after the death of Raisi and other officials in the crash in East Azerbaijan province.

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UK Threatens To Deport Physically-challenged Nigerian After 38 Years

Published

3 hours ago

May 20, 2024

Editor

The United Kingdom has threatened to deport a physically-challenged Nigerian man, Anthony Olubunmi George, over an alleged forged entry stamp in his passport.

George who has lived in the UK for 38 years, after he left Nigeria at the age of 24 in 1986, according to the Guardian UK.

The 61-year-old Nigerian has no criminal convictions and made several applications for leave to remain in the UK, which the Home Office has rejected, most recently on 7 May.

George’s case became the second African facing a huge disappointment with the UK Home Office after spending several years in Britain.

Vanguard reported last week that a 74-year-old Ghanaian Nelson Shardey, who has resided in the UK since 1977, was refused indefinite leave to remain despite being in the country for most of his adult life.

As the case of the Nigerian, he has never left the UK and has no criminal convictions, with the reports of having two strokes, which left him with problems with speech and mobility in 2019.

When George arrived, Margaret Thatcher was prime minister and Rishi Sunak is the ninth to hold office since George has lived in the UK.

He has endured many periods of homelessness and disclosed he has lost count of the number of friends who have given him shelter over the years, adding that he no longer has any close family in Nigeria.

The Guardian UK said in 2005, his previous solicitors submitted a forged entry stamp in his passport and have subsequently been reported to the police and the legal regulatory bodies.

George told the Guardian he knew nothing about the passport stamp until many years later. His current lawyer, Naga Kandiah of MTC Solicitors, cited his poor previous legal representation as the reason for George’s problems.

In his most recent refusal, Home Office officials said: “Unfortunately this is not something that is considered an exceptional circumstance.”

Kandiah has lodged an appeal against the latest refusal.

A previous Home Office rejection of his case states: “It’s open to your family and friends to visit you in Nigeria.”

George said, “I don’t know how many different sofas I’ve slept on – too many to count. I don’t have my life, living the way I’m living now. My health problems since I had my stroke are my biggest worry. All I’m asking for is some kindness from the Home Office.”

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JUST IN: ICC Prosecutor Seeks Arrest Warrants For Netanyahu, Hamas Leaders

Published

4 hours ago

May 20, 2024

Editor

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has applied for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas’s leader in Gaza for war crimes.

According to BBC, Karim Khan said there were reasonable grounds to believe that both men bore criminal responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity from at least 7 October 2023.

The ICC, based in The Hague, has been investigating Israel’s actions in the occupied territories for the past three years – and more recently the actions of Hamas as well.

Mr Netanyahu recently called the prospect of senior Israel figures joining the ICC’s wanted list “an outrage of historic proportions”.

Last week, 13 Western countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy, Japan and others cautioned Israel over its resolve to launch a full-scale operation in Rafah.