List of assassinations in Africa explained

This is a list of notable people who have been assassinated in Africa.

Algeria

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
117 BCHiempsal, co-ruler of NumidiaHiempsal's death was ordered by his cousin, Jugurtha.
François Darlan, former Head of Government of Vichy France and High Commissioner of France in AfricaFernand Bonnier de La Chapelle
Larbi Ben M'Hidi, Algerian nationalist and FLN leaderHanged by French Army officers under Paul Aussaresses; his death was initially passed off as a suicide.
Thrown from a building by French Army officers under Paul Aussaresses; at the time, his death was passed off as a suicide.
Maurice Audin, Pied-noir and PC militant
Mouloud Feraoun, writerOrganisation armée secrète
Gaston Marie Jacquier, Catholic bishopAbdessalam AbdelkaderStabbed in a crowded Algiers street while wearing full clerical attire. The assassin had a history of psychiatric problems, but was suspected by some to have been religiously motivated.[1] [2] [3]
Mustafa Bouyali, Islamic fundamentalistAmbushed by Algerian security services.
Mohamed Boudiaf, Chairman of the High Council of StateLembarek BoumaârafiShot at Annaba.[4]
Tahar Djaout, journalist, poet and authorKilled by the Armed Islamic Group.
Kasdi Merbah, former Prime Minister of Algeria
Abdelkader Alloula, playwrightKilled by two members of the Islamic Front for Armed Jihad.
Cheb Hasni, singer
Saïd Mekbel, journalistAssassinated with a car bomb in Aïn Bénian.
Aboubakr Belkaid, former minister
Seven Trappist monks of TibérineThe monks were kidnapped by the Armed Islamic Group in March 1996, and reportedly executed on May 21; others claim that the monks were accidentally killed by the Algerian army. See Assassination of the monks of Tibhirine.
Pierre Lucien Claverie, Catholic bishop of Oran
Ali Boucetta, Mayor of Algiers
Abdelhak Benhamouda, trade unionist
Lounès Matoub, Berberist singer
Abdelkader Hachani, Islamic fundamentalistFouad BoulemiaFouad Boulemia, a member of the Armed Islamic Group, was convicted for Hachani's murder and sentenced to death, but was later released.

Angola

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Jeremias Chitunda, Vice President of UNITAKilled by government troops as part of the Halloween Massacre.
November 2, 1992Elias Salupeto Pena, UNITA senior advisorKilled by government troops as part of the Halloween Massacre.
February 22, 2002Jonas Savimbi, founder and leader of the National Union for the Total Independence of AngolaHis death marked the end of the Angolan Civil War

Burkina Faso

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Thomas Sankara, Head of State of Burkina FasoKilled in the 1987 Burkina Faso coup d'état organised by Blaise Compaoré.
Norbert Zongo, journalist

Burundi

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Louis Rwagasore, Prime Minister of BurundiGeorges Kageorgis
Pierre Ngendandumwe, Prime Minister of Burundi[5]
Joseph Bamina, Prime Minister of BurundiKilled during the 1965 Burundian coup d'état attempt
April 29, Ntare V Ndizeye, deposed King of Burundi
Melchior Ndadaye, President of Burundi, founder of the Burundi Workers' PartyOverthrown and killed in the 1993 Burundian coup d'état attempt
Ernest Kabushemeye, Minister for Mines and Energy
Joachim Ruhuna, Roman Catholic archbishop of Gitega
Kassi Manlan, World Health Organization representativeMurdered in a conspiracy after discovering that aid money was being diverted into private accounts.
Emmanuel Niyonkuru, Minister of Water and the EnvironmentAssassinated in Bujumbura.

Cameroon

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Ruben Um Nyobé, anti-colonialist leader and founder of the Union of the Peoples of CameroonKilled by the French Army
Félix-Roland Moumié, anti-colonialist leader of the Union of the Peoples of CameroonKilled by the SDECE

Chad

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
François Tombalbaye, President of ChadKilled during the 1975 Chadian coup d'état
Abbas Koty, rebel leader
Idriss Déby, President of ChadKilled in the 2021 Northern Chad offensive

Comoros

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Ali Soilih, former President of ComorosKilled after being overthrown in a coup
Ahmed Abdallah, President of ComorosOverthrown in a coup.
Combo Ayouba, army chief of staff and former interim head of state

Republic of the Congo

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Marien Ngouabi, President of the CongoBarthélemy Kikadidi and othersShot in Brazzaville.[7]
Émile Cardinal Biayenda, Roman Catholic archbishop of BrazzavilleAbducted and killed by soldiers
Alphonse Massamba-Débat, former President of the CongoKilled for his alleged involvement in the murder of President Ngouabi
Angèle Bandou, former presidential candidate

Ivory Coast

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Émile Boga Doudou, Minister of State for the Interior and DecentralizationKilled in a coup that started the First Ivorian Civil War
Robert Guéï, former President of Ivory Coast.Killed in a coup that started the First Ivorian Civil War
Rose Doudou Guéï, wife of Robert Guéï and former First Lady of Ivory Coast.Killed in a coup that started the First Ivorian Civil War

Democratic Republic of the Congo

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Patrice Lumumba, former Prime Minister of the Congo[8] Soldiers of the State of Katanga with the involvement of Belgian officialsSent to the breakaway region of Katanga to be killed after being ousted in a coup led by Joseph Mobutu during the Congo Crisis
Maurice Mpolo, former Minister of Interior, and associate of Lumumba
Joseph Okito, Vice-President of the Senate and associate of Lumumba
Philippe Bernard, Ambassador of France to ZaireKilled during an army mutiny in Kinshasa
May 6, Mahele Lieko Bokungu, Commanding General of the Forces Armées ZaïroisesKilled by Mobutu loyalists for attempting to negotiate a peaceful settlement with Laurent-Désiré Kabila during the First Congo War
Laurent-Désiré Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of the CongoRashidi Muzele Killed by one of his bodyguards
Luca Attanasio, Italian Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo [9] Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (suspected)Killed in an ambush in Goma

Egypt

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Amenemhat I, Pharaoh of the Twelfth Dynasty of EgyptThe identity of the assassin is unknown and the fact of the assassination is not entirely certain. Nevertheless, it is accepted as likely that he was killed in his bedchamber by members of his bodyguard as described in the Instructions of Amenemhat. The assassination of Amenemhat I is commonly cited as the first recorded political assassination in history.
Ramesses III, Pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty of EgyptTiye, Pebekkamen, and other members of the Harem conspiracyCT scans of his mummy show the king throat was cut deeply enough to strike bone, likely killing him immediately. The conspirators, who were attempting to install Tiye's son Pentawer on the throne, failed, and (according to the Judicial Papyrus of Turin) were tried and sentenced to death by the government of Ramesses's intended successor Ramesses IV.
Pompey the Great, Roman general and politicianAchillas, Lucius Septimius Salvius, and Julius Caesar
Al-Afdal Shahanshah, vizier of Fatimid Egypt
Al-Amir bi-Ahkami l-Lah, Fatimid Caliph
Qutuz, Mamluk sultan of EgyptBaybars
Jean Baptiste Kléber, French generalSuleiman al-Halabi
Boutros Ghali, Prime Minister of EgyptIbrahim Nassif al-Wardani
Sir Lee Stack, Governor-General of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
Walter Edward Guinness, Lord Moyne, the UK's Minister Resident in the Middle EastEliyahu Hakim, a member of Zionist group Lehi
Ahmed Maher Pasha, Prime Minister of Egypt[10] Mustafa Essawy .
Amin Osman, Former minister of finance.A group of Egyptian army officers including Anwar Sadat.
Mahmud Fahmi Nokrashi, Prime Minister of Egypt[11] Abdel Meguid Ahmed Hassan
Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood
Wasfi al-Tal, Prime Minister of JordanShot by members of Black September during a visit to Cairo.
Anwar Sadat, President of EgyptKhalid IslambouliShot while reviewing a military parade; see Assassination of Anwar El Sadat.
Rifaat al-Mahgoub, Speaker of the Egyptian parliament
Farag Foda, politician and intellectualIslamist movement al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya claimed responsibility for the attack.
Hisham Barakat, Prosecutor GeneralKilled in car bombing

Ethiopia

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
December 17, Ras Abebe Aragai, Prime MinisterKilled during a failed coup attempt
June 22, 2019General Se'are Mekonnen, Chief of General Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense ForceKilled during the Amhara Region coup d'état attempt
June 22, 2019Major General Gezae Abera, Aide to General MekonnenKilled during the Amhara Region coup d'état attempt
March 30, 2023 Desalegn Bokonja, head of the Prosperity Party’s office in Nekemte
April 27, 2023 Girma Yeshitila, head of the Prosperity Party in Amhara
May 8, 2023Omer Lemma, head of the Prosperity Party in Haruka Woreda, Afar Region

Ghana

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
April 17, Emmanuel Kotoka, member of the National Liberation Council and Chief of the Defence StaffKilled during Operation Guitar Boy
June 30, Cecilia Koranteng-Addow, Justice of the High Court of GhanaAbducted and killed along with two other justices by soldiers
June 30, Frederick Poku Sarkodee, Justice of the High Court of GhanaAbducted and killed along with two other justices by soldiers
June 30, Kwadwo Agyei Agyapong, Justice of the High Court of GhanaAbducted and killed along with two other justices by soldiers

Guinea-Bissau

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Batista Tagme Na Waie, chief of staff of the army
João Bernardo Vieira, President of Guinea BissauShot by soldiers during armed attack on his residence in Bissau in retaliation for the killing of Batista Tagme Na Waie
Baciro Dabó, former Interior Minister and presidential candidate
Helder Proença, former Defense Minister

Kenya

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Pio Gama Pinto, journalist, anti-colonial activist and socialist legislator
Tom Mboya, Minister of Economic Planning [12]
March 2, Josiah Mwangi Kariuki, Assistant Government Minister
January 3, Joy Adamson, conservationist
August 20, George Adamson, conservationist
Robert Ouko, Foreign MinisterDisappeared on February 12–13; found dead on February 16.[13]
Seth Sendashonga, former interior minister of Rwanda
August 23, John Anthony Kaiser, Roman Catholic priest
Oscar Kamau Kingara, human rights activist
John Paul Oulo, human rights activist

Liberia

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
William R. Tolbert, Jr., President of LiberiaKilled in the 1980 Liberian coup d'état led by Samuel Doe
Samuel Doe, President of LiberiaTortured and killed on the orders of Prince Johnson.

Libya

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Abdul Fatah Younis, commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Libyan RepublicPossibly security guards or members of the Obaida Ibn Jarrah Brigade
Muammar Gaddafi, de facto head of state from 1969 to 2011Killed at the close of the First Libyan Civil War. See Death of Muammar Gaddafi
J. Christopher Stevens, United States Ambassador to LibyaKilled in the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi

Madagascar

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Radama II, King of MadagascarAfter Radama passed a controversial law allowing disputes to be settled by duelling, his palace was besieged on the orders of the Prime Minister, Rainivoninahitriniony. Radama was captured by soldiers and strangled with a silk sash; some historians believe he may have survived this attack and lived out the rest of his days in obscurity.
Richard Ratsimandrava, President of MadagascarShot six days after taking power in military coup.

Mauritius

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Rampersad Surath, Political activist
Robert Brousse and Jacques Beesoo, Political activist and policeman[14] in Trois Boutiques.[15]
Fareed Muttur, Political activist (MMM)
Azor Adelaide, Dock worker and political activist (MMM)
Cyril de Guardia, Raymond Desvaux de Marigny and Ambicaduth Sooknundun (Medine Sugar Estate executives)Sténio Hervel (alias Piou Piou)Piou Piou Hervel murders
Babal Joomun, Zulfikar Bheeky and Yousouf Moorad Political activists (Labour Party)Escadron de la mortGorah Issac murders

Morocco

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Ahmed Bahnini, former Prime Minister of MoroccoKilled during the 1971 Moroccan coup d'état attempt
Mohamed Oufkir, Minister of the Interior and DefenseKilled after launching the failed 1972 Moroccan coup d'état attempt against King Hassan II
Omar Benjelloun, socialist politicianChabiba islamia

Mozambique

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Eduardo Mondlane, anti-colonial activist and leader of the pro-independence FRELIMO movementKilled by a parcel bomb
Ruth First, South African communistKilled by a parcel bomb sent by South African Police
Carlos Cardoso, journalistNyimpine Chissano and Anibal dos SantosShot while investigating allegations of corruption in Mozambique's largest bank. Chissano and dos Santos were charged with orchestrating the murder.

Namibia

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Clemens Kapuuo, Herero chief and politician
Anton Lubowski, leading white SWAPO activistShot in front of his home in central Windhoek, allegedly by members of the government's Civilian Co-Operation Bureau.

Nigeria

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Prime Minister of NigeriaKilled during the 1966 Nigerian coup d'état
Ahmadu Bello, Premier of Northern NigeriaKilled during the 1966 Nigerian coup d'état
Samuel Akintola, Premier of Western NigeriaKilled during the 1966 Nigerian coup d'état
Festus Okotie-Eboh, Finance Minister of NigeriaKilled during the 1966 Nigerian coup d'état
Adekunle Fajuyi, Military Governor of Western NigeriaKilled during the 1966 Nigerian counter-coup led by Theophilus Danjuma.
Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, Head of State of NigeriaKilled during the 1966 Nigerian counter-coup
Murtala Mohammed, Head of State of NigeriaKilled in an attempted coup led by Buka Suka Dimka.
Dele Giwa, journalist
Kudirat Abiola, pro-democracy activist and wife of presidential candidate Moshood Abiola
Bola Ige, Justice Minister
Modu Bintube, Borno state legislatorSuspected to have been killed by Boko Haram militants.[16]
Gideon Aremu, Oyo State legislator and lawmaker.[17]

Rwanda

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
King Mibambwe IV RutarindwaDied in the aftermath of the Rucunshu Coup
Dian Fossey, primatologistPossibly killed by gorilla poachers.
Juvénal Habyarimana, President of Rwanda, and Cyprien Ntaryamira, President of BurundiPlane carrying the two leaders shot down by unknown attackers with a surface-to-air missile. The attack was the catalyst for the Rwandan genocide. See Assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira.
Agathe Uwilingiyimana, Prime Minister of RwandaKilled during the Rwandan genocide
Joseph Kavaruganda, President of the Constitutional CourtKilled during the Rwandan Genocide
Faustin Rucogoza, Minister of InformationKilled during the Rwandan Genocide
Rosalie Gicanda, Queen Dowager of RwandaKilled during the Rwandan Genocide
Jean-Baptiste Habyalimana, Prefect of Butare Province and then the only Tutsi prefect in RwandaKilled during the Rwandan Genocide
André Kameya, journalist and Secretary-General of the Parti LibéralKilled during the Rwandan Genocide

Somalia

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Kamal Al Din Salah, chairman of the UN Advisory Council on Italian SomalilandShot by a Somalian
Abdirashid Ali Shermarke, President of SomaliaShot by one of his bodyguards, possibly for personal – rather than political – reasons
Salvatore Colombo, Roman Catholic bishop of Mogadishu
Abdallah Isaaq Deerow, former acting President of Somalia
Ali Said, Mogadishu police chief
Omar Hashi Aden, security ministerKilled in the 2009 Beledweyne bombing, for which Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility.
Abdishakur Sheikh Hassan Farah, interior ministerHaboon Abdulkadir Hersi Qaaf, Farah's teenage nieceKilled in a suicide bomb attack; Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility.
Abdullahi Ali Ahmed Waafow, mayor of MercaKilled in a suicide bomb attack; Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility.

South Africa

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Shaka, King of the ZulusDingane and Mhlangana, Shaka's half-brothers
Hendrik Verwoerd, Prime Minister of South AfricaDimitri TsafendasTsafendas, a parliamentary messenger, stabbed Verwoerd to death with a dagger in the House of Assembly due to his opposition to Verwoerd's policy of apartheid.
Robert Smit, economist and parliamentary candidate for the National Party
Ruth First, anti-apartheid scholar and wife of Communist party leader Joe SlovoKilled by a letter bomb; her death was ordered by Craig Williamson of the South African Police.
Vernon Nkadimeng, anti-apartheid activist
Dulcie September, head of the African National Congress in Paris
David Webster, anthropologistCivil Cooperation Bureau
Chris Hani, leader of the South African Communist PartyJanusz Walus
Johan Heyns, prominent leader in the Dutch Reformed Church
Mbongeleni Zondi, Zulu chieftain and politician

Sudan

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Cleo A. Noel, Jr., US Chief of Mission, George Curtis Moore, Deputy Chief of Mission, and Guy Eid, Belgian chargé d'affairesTaken hostage and assassinated by members of Black September; see Attack on the Saudi Embassy in Khartoum.
John Granville, diplomat for the United States Agency for International Development
Khamis Abakar, Governor of West Darfur StateRapid Support Forces (RSF)Killed during the Battle of Geneina of the 2023 Sudan conflict

Tanzania

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambican independence leader and founder of FRELIMOKilled by a parcel bomb
Abeid Karume, 1st President of Zanzibar and 1st Vice President of Tanzania
David Sibeko, South African black nationalist

Togo

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Sylvanus Olympio, first President of TogoKilled in the 1963 Togolese coup d'état.
Tavio Amorin, leader of the Pan-African Socialist PartyShot in Lomé on July 23, later died in a Paris hospital.

Tunisia

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Khalil al-Wazir, military leader of the PLOShot by Israeli commandos in Tunis.
Salah Khalaf, deputy leader of the PLOKilled in Tunis.
Chokri Belaid, Tunisian opposition leader
Mohamed Brahmi, Tunisian opposition leader

Uganda

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Benedicto Kiwanuka, former Prime Minister and Chief Justice of Uganda
Janani Luwum, Anglican Archbishop of the Church of Uganda

Zimbabwe

DateVictim(s)Assassin(s)Notes
Mlimo, Ndebele religious leaderFrederick Russell Burnham, British Army scoutMlimo's death effectively ended the Second Matabele War.[18]
Joe Gqabi, South African ANC activistSouth African Defence Force[19] [20]
Attati Mpakati, Malawian dissident
Tonderai Ndira, member of the Movement for Democratic Change

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: CINI . Les Evèques d'Algérie (l'histoire) Chrétiennes . 2017-06-18 . www.cerclealgerianiste.fr . fr-fr.
  2. News: 2016-04-15 . Victimes religieuses en Algérie . fr-FR . La Croix . 2017-06-18 . 0242-6056.
  3. Book: Kiser, John . The Monks of Tibhirine: Faith, Love, and Terror in Algeria . Macmillan . 2003 . 9780312302948 . 47 . en.
  4. "Historic Assassinations Since 1865," The World Almanac and Book of Facts 2004, p156 (World Almanac 2004)
  5. "Chief Political Assassinations Since 1865," The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1967, p257 (World Almanac 1967)
  6. Web site: explaining the conflict in central african republic. Epiphany.
  7. World Almanac 2004, p156
  8. World Almanac 1967, p257
  9. News: Specia. Megan. Pianigiani. Gaia. 22 February 2021. Italian Ambassador Among Three Killed in Attack on U.N. Convoy in Congo. en-US. The New York Times. 22 February 2021. 0362-4331.
  10. "Assassinations and Political Murders," 20th Century Timeline (Griesewood & Dempsey, Ltd., 1985) (Crescent Books, 1985) [''20th Century Timeline''], p119
  11. 20th Century Timeline, p120
  12. "Historic Assassinations Since 1865," The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1982 (World Almanac 1982), p750
  13. Book: Cohen, David William . 2004 . The Risks of Knowledge: Investigations Into the Death of the Hon. Minister John Robert Ouko in Kenya, 1990 . Ohio University Press . x . 9780821415986.
  14. Web site: Sivaramen . Nad . Histoire Vivante . L'Express . 2018-01-28.
  15. News: Li Ching Hum . Philip . The downside of freedom . 2018-03-09 . Le Defi . Defimedia . 2018-03-09.
  16. News: Nigeria's Boko Haram accused of killing MP Modu Bintube . BBC News . October 17, 2011.
  17. Web site: Gunmen Assassinate Oyo Assembly Lawmaker, Gideon Aremu - 360Nobs.com.
  18. June 25, 1896. Killed the Matabele God: Burnham, the American scout, may end uprising. New York Times. 0093-1179.
  19. Book: Badat, Saleem . Saleem Badat

    . The Forgotten People: Political Banishment under Apartheid . . 2013 . 9789004247710 . 24 . Saleem Badat.

  20. Book: Todd, Judith Garfield . Judith Todd

    . Through the Darkness: A Life in Zimbabwe . Zebra Press . 2007 . 9781770220027 . 209 . Judith Todd.