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Robert Mugabe
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Africa’s top 10 dictators and warlords, body count included
While by no means as industrious as their European and Asian counterparts when it comes to body count, Africa's most infamous dictators and warlords sure make up for it in creativity.
Gerhard Jacobs by Gerhard Jacobs
2014-10-16 13:22
in News
Post-colonial Africa, one can argue, has borne the greatest brunt of suffering and torture by the hands of warlords and dictators in the 20th Century. From man-eaters to self-proclaimed emperors and even those who seem to be immortal almost, this motley bunch of monsters sure make for an interesting read.


Idi Amin

In his eight years as the leader of Uganda, Amin earned the nickname The Butcher, partially because of his taste for human flesh – that’s right, oll Idi was a cannibal -, but we’re assuming it’s mostly brought on by the close to 500 000 people who were massacred under his rule.

Jean-Bedel Bokassa

Jean, or as he referred to himself, the Emperor of Central Africa, was a little bonkers from the start. An ex soldier in the french equatorial army, he rose to power after the CAR gained independence. While it’s unclear how many people his highness killed, we know that he was personally involved in the slaughter of 100 children who could not afford to buy school uniforms with his emblem on them. Oh and he bankrupted the CAR with his lavish crowning ceremony… no really, he used up all their cash.

Joseph Kony

As leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda – shame, Uganda really has has the wort of it – Kony was responsible for recruiting child soldiers and at the height of his military campaign aimed at ethnic cleansing, up to 1000 people were being massacred per week.

Joshua Blahyi


With an alias like General Butt Naked, Joshua doesn’t seem like the killing kinda guy. Thing is, he was one of the most feared generals during the liberian civil war of the 1990’s, where he would charge into battle wearing nothing but shoes… somehow he believed this made him invincible. Probably just made the attackers feel awkward and well, leave. Blahyi later converted to Christianity and now runs his own ministry, even after admitting that he’s personally responsible for the slaughter of more than 20 000 people.

Jean Kambanda


There’s a special place in hell or wherever the worst human beings go for this guy. Kambanda became president of Rwanda at the beginning of the genocide in that country, and remained president for the entire 100 days of the conflict between the Tutsis and the Hutus. When the conflict ended he had the blood of some 800 000 people on his hands; he’s also the first person ever to admit to committing genocide.

Charles Taylor


Charly became president of Liberia in 1997, shortly after that he set up his own private army and funded rebels in Sierra Leone in exchange for blood diamonds. Charles is responsible for the deaths of around 220 000 people; but even more interesting is his son Chuckie – couldn’t have been better if we wrote it – who followed in daddy’s footsteps. Chuck is still in prison

Thomas Lubanga

Tommy was the founder of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UCP), a group that fought for control of gold reserves in the DRC. His favorite past time was recruiting child soldiers and… you guessed it, ethnic cleansing, 60 000 corpses to his name.

Bosco Ntanganda

Bosco was something of a warlord for rent. After helping to overthrow the Hutu-led government in Rwanda during the much-publicised civil war, he set his sights on Congo, where he helped overthrow the government there as well and was made head of their military. Bosco, also known affectionately as The Terminator, is responsible for somewhere in the region of 800 000 combined deaths, not to mention the countless human rights abuses.

Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir

Omar became president of Sudan (now divided into North and South Sudan) in 1989 and almost immediately started his assault on non-Arab Africans in the region. He used the country’s money to fund Islamist terrorists like supporter of APC, who, in turn, slaughtered black Africans by the truckloads. This monster is responsible for the killing of more than 300 000 Sudanese.

Robert Mugabe


Ah Bob, the only person on this list not yet prosecuted by the International Criminal Court. Our man Bob started out as something of a hero, but it wasn’t long before he showed us his true colours. Even before he came into government Robert Mugabe had blood on his hands. During the Rhodesian Civil War, Mugabe was responsible for the death of around 20 000 members of the Ndebele tribe while trying his hand at the Dictator go-to, ethnic cleansing. He also appears to be immortal, after three decades as supreme leader of his broken nation.

Africa my Africa, mama Africa see the sons you birthed oh mama Africa.

Please next time give birth to useful sons not sons as useless and wicked like this monsters.

How about the president that ordered the killings of the biafrans...the got to top the list

And how did Mugabe get on this list

Dude can't even hold a candle to any of the other 9 on this list.

Mugabe is nowhere near the typical African dictator or warlord in the craft of meanness. Take it from me.

Whoever came up with this list is a bit lazy. Take that from me[I hope it isn't you, OP].

I would rather have a Mengistu Haile Mariam on that list to make it more credible. Not Mugabe.

Mengistu Haile Mariam[500,000-2,000,000 corpses] was far more ruthless than Mugabe. Funny enough, both men were good friends.

Others that should have made the list:

1. Prince Yommie Johnson- you don't kill a president[live on TV] amongst others and not make the list.

2. Benjamin Yeaten- Charles Taylor's most trusted intelligence chief. Dude is a born killer. Easily one of Africa's most ruthless warlords. Even his girlfriend got dissolved in acid.


3. Sam Bockarie and Foday Sankoh. Both Sierra Leoneans and RUF commanders during the Sierra Leonean Civil War[1991-2001].

4. Talking about dictators, where is Macias Nguema of Equatorial Guinea??
Easily one of the craziest African dictators and with the body-count[35-50,000 mostly through public and private executions] to go with it too.
Dude staged public execution of his opponents for fun.
What's more? He also killed his country's Central Bank governor and took all the valuables from the Central Bank and national treasury to his house in the village.

5. How did I forget these two guys...? Siad Bare of Somalia and his son-in-law Hersi Morgan[Bad guys ]. NAF needs to go and take a lesson from these two guys. If you want to learn how to bomb a city[or in Nigeria's case, a forest] properly, then talk to one of these guys. They are specialists at it. Not even insect will survive. Unfortunately, Bare is long dead[funny enough he died in Lagos].

Personally, I like Bare. The guy was some tough guy. Y'all should look up Hersi's latest pics on the net by the way. Dude looks like a bad guy in a Hollywood blockbuster. Might post his picture, myself.

*** in fact, I am going to make my own list... I am not so satisfied with what I see on the net these days.

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely

I have read almost everything about Charles Taylor. He was really a tough one, the major sponsor of the Sierra Leone civil war.

The list is not complete though.

If u dont put foday Sankoh.

The sierra Leone warlord that refused to disarm. Until he fell sick of stroke that's when his downfall started.

Till today Charles Taylor's son chuck Taylor is incarcerated in a united states prison since he is a US citizen while Charles Taylor's wife is the Vice president of Liberia

Imagine what people will be remembered for.....

I'm not seeing ABACHA
This list is not valid

Ucheosefoh:
Africa my Africa, mama Africa see the sons you birthed oh mama Africa.

Please next time give birth to useful sons not sons as useless and wicked like this monsters.

By the time Europe begins to mention their own, you will know Africa was kind to us.

Africa and useless leaders

Herdsmen and their oga is not here.

Marvin5995:
I'm not seeing ABACHA
This list is not valid

where are nigerian dictators

Spy360:

By the time Europe begins to mention their own, you will know Africa was kind to us.

Why do I feel tempted to write our president's name. Under-empowering our Soldiers to fight Boko Haram

the blood should be in the hands of those Turkish, Russian and British that sells weapons to the people

Spy360:

By the time Europe begins to mention their own, you will know Africa was kind to us.

Correct!

I guess he hasn't heard of the likes of Slobodan Miloseviç, Karadzic and Ratko Mladic "the Butcher of Bosnia".

And those are just Yugoslav War criminals. There is more where that came from


What about the leader of the Uštase- Ante Pavelic...?

Marvin5995:
I'm not seeing ABACHA
This list is not valid

Abacha hardly makes any of such lists. Feel free to go through all of them.

You should know why. There are far more crazier guys in the game. Plus, he knew how to keep it under wraps.

I am saying Mugabe should not be on the list, you are mentioning Abacha.

Only God can save this continent.

Africa needs more of Jesus right now.

Only Christianity can save Africa.

only one dictator i know is the one still sending us palliative even after death...."GEN SANI ABACHA"

In fact, none of Nigeria's military dictators can make it to this as far as I see it.

They were brutal, no doubt. But then, they were better at siphoning public funds.

So, the day you make a list of the biggest embezzlers, then they will definitely make it to the top 5.

I didn't see buhari ooo
Someone that killed the whole country

husleo360:


Joshua Blahyi


With an alias like General Butt Naked, Joshua doesn’t seem like the killing kinda guy. Thing is, he was one of the most feared generals during the liberian civil war of the 1990’s, where he would charge into battle wearing nothing but shoes… somehow he believed this made him invincible. Probably just made the attackers feel awkward and well, leave. Blahyi later converted to Christianity and now runs his own ministry, even after admitting that he’s personally responsible for the slaughter of more than 20 000 people.

This guy was Liberia's official spiritualist and chief witch-doctor under Samuel Doe. He was appointed to that position as a 10 year-old. He was from the same ethnic group as Doe. He was an ethnic Krahn.

It was right after Doe was overthrown and murdered that he picked up the gun and became one of the ULIMO-J commanders under Johnson Roosevelt.