Denis Sassou Nguesso facts for kids

Denis Sassou Nguesso was born on November 23, 1943. He is a Congolese politician and a former military officer. He has been the president of the Republic of the Congo since 1997. Before this, he was also president from 1979 to 1992.

Sassou Nguesso led the Congolese Party of Labour (PCT) for 12 years during his first time as president. In 1990, he allowed many political parties to exist. However, he lost some of his presidential powers in 1991, becoming more of a ceremonial leader. He ran in the 1992 presidential election but came in third place.

After five years as an opposition leader, Sassou Nguesso returned to power. This happened during the Second Republic of the Congo Civil War. His forces removed President Pascal Lissouba from power. After a time of change, he won the 2002 presidential election. He was re-elected in the 2009 presidential election.

In 2015, Sassou Nguesso introduced a new constitution through a public vote. This new constitution allowed him to run for president again. He was re-elected in the 2016 and 2021 presidential elections. He won with a majority of votes in the first round each time.

Early Life and Education

Denis Sassou Nguesso is a member of the Mbochi tribe. He was born in Edou, in the Oyo district of northern Congo, in 1943. His parents were Julien Nguesso and Émilienne Mouebara. He was the youngest child in his family. His father was a well-known hunter chief in Edou.

He went to primary school in Fort Rousset, which is now called Owando. From 1956 to 1960, he studied at Dolisie Normal College.

Military Career

Sassou Nguesso joined the army in 1960, just before Congo became an independent country. He received military training in Algeria. In 1962, he returned to Congo and became a second lieutenant. A year later, he went to a special infantry school in France. He graduated as a lieutenant.

He then joined Congo's special paratroop regiment. He was one of the first officers in the Airborne Group, which was the first paratroop battalion of the Congolese Army. This group was started by Marien Ngouabi in 1965. Sassou Nguesso led the Airborne Group and later the army. He also headed the intelligence department for state security. He was promoted to captain, then commander, and later to colonel in 1978. In 1989, he became an army general.

Political Journey

Early Political Roles (1963–1979)

Sassou Nguesso was part of the military action in 1968 that removed President Massemba Debat from power. This action brought Marien Ngouabi to lead the country. Sassou Nguesso was a founding member of the National Revolution Council in December 1968. This group limited the president's powers.

In December 1969, Sassou Nguesso became a member of the first central committee of the new Congolese Labor Party (PCT). This party had a specific political doctrine. Marien Ngouabi was the president of this party and the head of state. A new constitution was created in 1969, naming the country the People's Republic of Congo.

In 1975, during an economic challenge, Sassou Nguesso was part of a small group of five leaders. He was appointed Minister of Defense and Security at 32 years old.

On March 18, 1977, President Marien Ngouabi died. A Military Committee of the Congolese Labor Party, led by Major Sassou Nguesso, took power. Sassou Nguesso was the temporary head of state from March 18 to April 6, 1977. He then gave his position to General Joachim Yhombi-Opango, who became president. Sassou Nguesso became the first vice president of the committee and kept his role as minister of defense.

Sassou Nguesso was appointed provisional president on February 8, 1979. He was later confirmed as head of the central committee, President of the Republic, and head of state for five years. In July 1979, elections were held, and the PCT won all seats in the People's National Assembly. A new constitution was approved, confirming the country's socialist ideas.

Presidential Terms (1979–1991)

As president, Sassou Nguesso worked to get loans from the International Monetary Fund. He also allowed foreign companies from France and the Americas to extract oil and minerals.

He visited France to ask for economic help. He also signed a friendship agreement with the Soviet Union and sent delegations to China. However, France provided most of the country's foreign aid.

Denis Sassou Nguesso in 1986.

Sassou Nguesso was re-elected for another five-year term as President of the PCT and President of the Republic in July 1984. He also served as Chairman of the Organization of African Unity from 1986 to 1987. In 1987, he faced a serious military challenge in the north of the country, which he managed with help from France.

In July 1989, Sassou Nguesso was re-elected again as President of the PCT and President of the Republic. As socialist countries in Eastern Europe changed, Sassou Nguesso began to move Congo towards a more capitalist economy.

In December 1989, he announced that the government would no longer control the economy as much. He also offered a partial amnesty for political prisoners. In September 1990, other political parties were allowed to form. Sassou Nguesso visited the United States, which helped set up new loans from the International Monetary Fund.

He introduced multiparty politics in 1990. However, he lost some of his executive powers in 1991, becoming a ceremonial head of state. He ran in the 1992 presidential election but came in third. In February 1991, a national conference began, and the opposition gained control. Sassou Nguesso did not challenge the conference's decisions.

Civil War and Elections (1992–1997)

In the parliamentary election of June–July 1992, Sassou Nguesso's party, the PCT, won 19 out of 125 seats. The Pan-African Union for Social Democracy (UPADS), led by Pascal Lissouba, became the largest party.

In the August 1992 presidential election, Sassou Nguesso was eliminated in the first round, getting 17% of the votes. He did not do well except in the north. The second round was between Lissouba and Bernard Kolelas. Sassou Nguesso supported Lissouba, who won.

Lissouba became President on August 31. A new government was formed. However, a new group of parties, including Sassou Nguesso's PCT, formed a new majority in parliament. In October, the National Assembly voted against the prime minister, who then resigned. President Lissouba dissolved Parliament and called for new elections.

A civil war began in November 1993. This happened when opposition parties, including the PCT, disagreed with the results of the parliamentary elections. Armed groups supporting President Lissouba fought with groups supporting Kolelas and Sassou Nguesso. The conflict ended in December 1995.

After this, Sassou Nguesso spent seven months in Paris in 1996. He returned on January 26, 1997, to run in the presidential election that was planned for July.

Return to Presidency (1997–2008)

Another civil war started a few weeks before the presidential election. In May 1997, fighting broke out between Sassou Nguesso's supporters and others. On June 5, 1997, government forces surrounded Sassou Nguesso's home. This led to the second civil war.

Angolan troops and air force helped Sassou Nguesso. By October, Sassou Nguesso was in control. Lissouba and other leaders left the country. On October 25, 1997, Sassou Nguesso became president.

He replaced the 1992 Constitution with a "Fundamental Act" that gave more power to the President. Sassou Nguesso became President, Head of State, Head of Government, Minister of Defense, and Supreme Chief of the Armies.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Sassou Nguesso in June 2005

He also called for a National Reconciliation Forum. However, some groups continued fighting. In December 1997, heavy fighting started again in Brazzaville. Peace agreements were signed on December 25, 1998, with help from President Omar Bongo of Gabon. This ended the civil war, but it left many people dead and displaced.

Presidential elections were held on March 10, 2002. Many candidates entered the race, but some withdrew, saying the process was not fair. Sassou Nguesso won with 89.41% of the votes. Election observers noted some problems but said they did not change the final result.

Sassou Nguesso was elected Chairman of the African Union in January 2006. This was a compromise to prevent another leader from getting the position.

Re-election and Referendum (2009–2016)

Denis Sassou Nguesso with Obamas in September 2009

Sassou Nguesso was re-elected as President of the PCT in December 2006. He was re-elected as president in July 2009 with 78.61% of the vote. Many opposition groups boycotted the election. He said his re-election meant continued "peace, stability and security." He also said he would support a law to pardon Lissouba, who had been in exile.

As Congo-Brazzaville prepared to celebrate 50 years of independence from France in 2010, Sassou Nguesso said the country still needed to overcome poverty to be truly independent.

Vladimir Putin with Denis Sassou Nguesso at a meeting in May 2019.

On March 27, 2015, Sassou Nguesso announced that his government would hold a referendum to change the 2002 constitution. This change would allow him to run for a third term in a row. The proposal was approved by a large majority of voters, with 92.96% in favor. The official turnout was 72.44%. However, the opposition argued that the results should be cancelled due to low turnout.

On March 20, 2016, Sassou Nguesso ran for a third consecutive term of 5 years. He was re-elected in the first round with 60% of the vote. This election was overseen by an independent commission for the first time. The opposition did not accept the results, claiming there was fraud.

Re-election (2021)

Sassou Nguesso with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in 2022

During the presidential election on March 21, 2021, Sassou Nguesso faced six other candidates. He won again, getting 88.4% of the votes. His main challenger, Guy Brice Parfait Kolélas, came in second with 7.96%.

In December 2022, he attended the United States–Africa Leaders Summit 2022 in Washington, D.C. He met with US President Joe Biden.

In July 2023, he attended the 2023 Russia–Africa Summit in Saint Petersburg. He met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the summit, Nguesso called for peace in Ukraine.

African Union and the Libyan Situation

Denis Sassou Nguesso is the Chairman of the African Union High Level Committee on Libya. He has said that solving the situation in Libya is very urgent. He noted that terrorist groups in southern Libya could negatively affect neighboring countries.

He stated that "this crisis remains, before any other consideration, an African problem."

Honors and Awards

National Awards

• Grand Cross of the Order of Merit

Foreign Awards

•  Angola:
  • Recipient of the Order of Agostinho Neto (1992)
•  Benin:
  • Grand Cross of the National Order of Benin (2011)
•  Ivory Coast:
  • Grand Cross of the National Order of the Ivory Coast (2023)
•  Portugal:
  • Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (1984)
•  Russia:
  • Order of Honour (2024)
•  Senegal:
  • Grand Cross of the National Order of the Lion (2022)
•  Togo:
  • Grand Cross of the Order of Mono (2011)

See also

• List of presidents of the Republic of the Congo
• Robert Bourgi