The Congolese government on Tuesday claimed a landslide victory in a controversial referendum allowing President Denis Sassou Nguesso to extend a grip on power that began three decades ago.
Sassou Nguesso
Sassou Nguesso took power in 1979 and has been in office ever since, except for a five-year period.
Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Equatorial Guinea
– 36 years: Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Equatorial Guinea. Came to power in a coup on August 3, 1979. He was officially named president on October 12, 1982.
Jose Eduardo dos Santos, Angola
– 36 years: Jose Eduardo dos Santos, Angola. Leader of the party which won independence from Portugal in 1975, Dos Santos has been in power since September 20, 1979.
Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe
– 35 years: Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe. The only living African leader to have been continuously in power since his country’s independence, Mugabe became prime minister in April 1980 and president in 1987.
– 32 years: Paul Biya, Cameroon. Came to power on November 6, 1982.
Yoweri Museveni, Uganda
– 29 years: Yoweri Museveni, Uganda. Took office in January 1986 after winning the war which ousted the brutal regime of Idi Amin Dada, with help from neighbouring Tanzania.
 King Mswati III, Swaziland
– 29 years: King Mswati III, Swaziland. Acceded to the throne of the tiny southern African kingdom in April 1986, four years after the death of his father.
Omar al-Bashir, Sudan
– 26 years: Omar al-Bashir, Sudan. Has ruled since he seized power in a coup in June 1989.
Idriss Deby, Chad
– 25 years: Idriss Deby, Chad. Emerged as the leader of the arid north-central African state in December 1990, after the war which ousted the regime of Hissein Habre.
– All-time record holders –
The longest-serving leaders of post-colonial African countries have been:
– Emperor King Haile Selassie, who was ousted from power in Ethiopia in 1974 after 44 years.
– Moamer Kadhafi of Libya, who ruled his north- African state for almost 42 years after a coup in 1969. Kadhafi was ousted and then killed in 2011 by a rebel movement backed by western warplanes.
– Omar Bongo Ondimba, who ruled the west African state of Gabon for more than 41 years until his death in October 2011. He was then succeeded by his son.
-standardmedia.co.ke
