Tanzanian president, John Pombe Magafuli has reportedly said long serving Africa leaders and despots should also be removed from office like Gambia’s leader, Yahya Jammeh who has been forced into exile.
Jammeh was forced into exile on Saturday - ending 22 years of his rule – after mediation by regional leaders and threats of military intervention.
He had refused to stand down despite earlier conceding defeat to opposition leader, Adama Barrow in a December presidential poll.
In a post on Tweeter on Sunday, Magafuli alleged that focus should now turn to removing Africa’s despots.
“After the Gambian redemption, focus should now shift to out-weeding tyrants, dictators and long serving leaders in the continent. It time,” Magafuli posted on twitter on Sunday 9:11 am.
Elected in October 2015, Magafuli installed a new anti-corruption and austerity measures in Tanzania - cancelling travel for officials, banning the purchase of first-class air tickets, ordering that government meetings and workshops be held in government buildings rather than expensive hotels, among others.
He cancelled Tanzania’s 2015 Independence Day celebrations arguing “It is so shameful that we are spending huge amounts of money to celebrate 54 years of independence when our people are dying of cholera.”
Here is a list of Africa’s longest-serving leaders:
- 38 years: Teodoro Obiang Nguema, Equatorial Guinea. …
- 38 years: Jose Eduardo dos Santos, Angola. …
- 37 years: Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe. …
- 35 years: Paul Biya, Cameroon. …
- 31 years: Yoweri Museveni, Uganda. …
- 31 years: King Mswati III, Swaziland.
