Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea is 82 and has been in power for 45 years. Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo, 79, has held on to power for 40 years. Cameroon’s Paul Biya is 91 and has been president for 42 years.
Their extended tenures are largely due to a lack of constitutional limits on presidential age and terms in their countries. These three cases of political endurance aren’t unprecedented in Africa: Félix Houphouët-Boigny led Côte d'Ivoire for 33 years, Gnassingbé Eyadema remained at the helm in Togo for 40 years and Omar Bongo Ondimba reigned over Gabon for 42 years.
As such leaders approach an end-of-reign phase, intense succession rivalries tend to play out. These rivalries are fuelled by deep-seated conflicts within presidential families, and can lead to prolonged social and political instability.
