African Presidents Who Died in Exile/Abroad with Disputed Burials - The Zambian Observer
African Presidents Who Died in Exile/Abroad with Disputed Burials
By Brenda Zulu
If the former sixth President of Zambia Edgar Changwa Lungu is finally buried in South Africa as the family wishes, he will join a list of African leaders whose death, repatriation, or burial became a flashpoint of national debate or legal contention. As Zambians, let’s learn from history and what happened to other African leaders who died in exile with disputed burials.
1. Edgar Lungu – Zambia 🇿🇲
• Died: June 5, 2025, Pretoria, South Africa
• Context: Former president (2015–2021), incarcerated rival Hichilema in 2017.
• Dispute: The family demanded Hakainde Hichilema be barred from the funeral, stalling repatriation twice
• Outcome: A temporary agreement in mid-June scheduled state funeral for June 22 and burial at Embassy Park on June 23. However, the family halted repatriation again citing broken protocol. Amid this stalemate, Presiden Hakahinde Hichilema officially ended the national mourning and announced the funeral would proceed with or without family cooperation
• Family have now decided that the body will be buried in South Africa. We are still not aware of the dates yet.
2. José Eduardo dos Santos – Angola 🇦🇴
• Died: July 8, 2022, Barcelona, Spain
• Context: After 38 years in power, dos Santos lived in Barcelona post-retirement.
• Dispute: His family (notably daughter Tchizé and siblings) argued he wished to be buried privately in Spain, delaying any move by authorities to bring him home for a state funeral before the August election
• A Barcelona court eventually cleared the way for repatriation.
• Outcome: Arrived in Luanda August 21; received a state funeral on August 28 at Agostinho Neto Memorial and was buried at Alto das Cruzes cemetery amid election-related tension
3. Ahmadou Ahidjo – Cameroon 🇨🇲
• Died: November 30, 1989, Dakar, Senegal
• Context: First president (1960–1982), forced into exile after political rift.
• Dispute: Despite occasional calls for repatriation, his body has remained in Dakar since his death. Public and official interest persists, but no resolution to return his remains.
4. Mobutu Sese Seko – Democrat Republic of Congo 🇨🇩 (Zaire)
• Died: September 7, 1997, Rabat, Morocco
• Context: Ruled 1965–1997 before fleeing corruption charges.
• Dispute: While the DRC Assembly passed a resolution in 2007 advocating his return to Kinshasa, it never materialized. His body remains in Rabat
5. Mutesa II of Buganda – Uganda 🇺🇬
• Died: November 21, 1969, London, UK
• Context: Ousted monarch and president during Milton Obote’s coup.
• Dispute: Initially buried in London, his remains were only repatriated in 1971 after political negotiations. He was reinterred at the Kasubi Tombs in Uganda .
6. Mwambutsa IV – Burundi 🇧🇮
• Died: 1977, Switzerland
• Context: Exiled king/head of state.
• Dispute: Remains were brought to Burundi in 2012 amid legal battles. Ultimately, due to family-backed legal rulings, he was reburied in Switzerland in 2016
7. Zine el Abidine Ben Ali – Tunisia 🇹🇳
• Died: September 2019, Saudi Arabia
• Context: Fled the Tunisian Revolution in 2011, died in exile.
• Dispute: Buried in secrecy. Tunisian officials debated repatriation, but the secretive burial and lack of official return stirred public controversy
8. Robert Mugabe – Zimbabwe 🇿🇼
Died: September 2019, Harare (but battle over burial site) September 6, 2019, in Singapore. His body was flown back and arrived in Harare on September 11 for a staged state funeral at the National Sports Stadium
Context: Overthrown in 2017; declared a “national hero” by courts.
• Dispute: Government insisted on burial at Heroes’ Acre; his widow contested, resulting in court delays before burial decision. There was a fierce dispute between the government and the Mugabe family over the burial site. President Mnangagwa’s administration wanted the hero’s burial at Heroes’ Acre in Harare, but Grace Mugabe and family insisted on Kutama—Mugabe’s hometown.
On September 26, 2019, it was announced that he’d be buried in Kutama “to respect the wishes of the family” (en.wikipedia.org).The burial took place on September 28, 2019, in Kutama, beside his mother in the family burial plot; a private ceremony included his second wife, Grace .
Traditional Ruling and Exhumation
In May 2021, Chief Zvimba leader of Mugabe’s home district ruled that Grace Mugabe had violated tradition by burying Mugabe at home rather than at Heroes’ Acre. He ordered the exhumation of Mugabe’s body for reburial at the national shrine and fined Grace “five cows and two goats”
The ruling cited that Mugabe had reportedly wished to be buried next to his mother, yet the traditional court decreed he belonged at Heroes’ Acre
Family Resistance and Government Pressure
Leo Mugabe, family spokesperson, contested the traditional chief’s decision, stating he held “no jurisdiction” and vowing to appeal . The family remained reluctant to move his remains.
The government leveraged political pressure, as Heroes’ Acre is reserved for those deemed “national heroes” of the liberation struggle and symbolizes ZANU PF’s legacy.
Burial At Heroes’ Acre?
The chief emphasized that interim requests suggested Mugabe wanted burial alongside his mother in Kutama, but tradition and state protocol overrode that wish, placing him instead in the esteemed resting place built under his own watch.
As of today 2025, it’s unclear whether the exhumation has occurred. The traditional ruling stands, but families can still lodge appeals. The government is expected to continue advocating for reburial at Heroes’ Acre.
9. Félix Malloum – Chad 🇹🇩
• Died: June 12, 2009, Paris, France
• Context: President (1975–1982), exiled in Nigeria then France.
• Repatriation: His body returned to Chad in 2002; no major dispute over burial.
10. Ange Félix Patassé – Central African Republic
• Died: April 2007, Douala, Cameroon
• Context: Exiled former president.
• Repatriation: His burial in Central African Republic happened quietly; no prominent state-level controversy.
11. Thomas Sankara (1949–1987) – Burkina Faso 🇧🇫
• Died: October 15, 1987, Ouagadougou
• Context: Note. Though not exiled, Assassinated revolutionary leader. October 15, 1987 – Sankara was killed in Ouagadougou during a coup led by Blaise Compaoré, his former ally. His body and those of 12 of his colleagues were hastily interred in a mass grave at Dagnoën cemetery, situated on the outskirts of the capital.
Public silence: Compaoré’s regime suppressed investigation attempts and blocked family efforts to access the burial site, leaving the true circumstances of death shrouded in secrecy.
Exhumation and Forensic Investigation (2015)
Trigger of truth: After Compaoré’s 2014 ousting, Burkina Faso’s transitional government approved exhumations in May 2015 to identify the bodies, verify deaths, and gather evidence for a planned legal trial
• Revealing evidence: Investigators, including forensic teams from Burkina Faso and France, exhumed 13 bodies to examine bullet wounds and collect DNA samples from Sankara’s family—his widow Mariam, sons, and siblings, who had long disputed the official narrative.
Trial and Fortress of Justice
Judicial reckoning: The exhumation led to the historic 2021 trial of 14 defendants, including Blaise Compaoré and former intelligence head Gen. Gilbert Diendéré, accused of conspiring in Sankara’s assassination. Key life sentences were issued in April 2022
Reburial Ceremony (2023)
Honoring the fallen: On February 23, 2023, the exhumed remains of Sankara and his 12 companions were ceremonially reburied at the site of their assassination. The coffins, draped in national flag, were laid to rest in front of family, government dignitaries, and military officials. The location was officially sanctified as a memorial space rather than a traditional cemetery.
Legacy Mausoleum and Memorial (2025)
A tribute by design: In early 2025, Pritzker Prize–winning architect Francis Kéré was commissioned by President Ibrahim Traoré to design the Thomas Sankara Memorial complex in Ouagadougou.
The memorial includes an oval-shaped mausoleum, an 87 m tower, amphitheater, conference spaces, and reflective water features around the preservation of the assassination site.
Crafted from traditional earth materials and laterite, the design aims to merge sustainability with cultural resonance of transforming a place of death into one of education, unity, and hope.
12. Kwame Nkrumah (1909–1972) – Ghana’s Founding Father – Ghana 🇬🇭 Exiled in Guinea
• Died: April 27, 1972, Bucharest, Romania, where he was receiving treatment after exile in Guinea.
Nkrumah had lived in Conakry, Guinea, after his 1966 overthrow, then moved to Romania for medical care.
• Context: Overthrown and lived in Guinea after 1966 coup.
• Repatriation: Returned to Ghana in 1973; sources mention debate over his final
First Burial – Guinea and Home Village
• Return to Africa: His embalmed body was sent to Guinea Conakry three days after his death; public funeral services were held on May 13–14, 1972, attended by African leaders.
• Transfer to Ghana: On July 1, 1972, Ghanaian military and Guinean officials arranged a flight home; the body arrived in Accra, lay in state at the State House, then was transported to his birthplace, Nkroful.
• Burial in Nkroful: On July 9, 1972, Nkrumah was laid to rest in a tomb at Nkroful, his hometown near Ghana’s western border.
Second Burial – Accra Mausoleum
• Decision to build mausoleum: In 1992, under President Jerry Rawlings, Ghana built the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Accra, on the former British polo grounds—site of the 1957 Independence Declaration.
• Exhumation and re-interment: His remains were exhumed from Nkroful and ceremonially reburied under the new mausoleum on July 1, 1992, marking Ghana’s Republic anniversary.
• Current status: The mausoleum, recently renovated in 2023, features his marble tomb, museum, reflecting pool—serving as both shrine and educational center .
Why Two Burials?
• Personal vs national symbolism: The 1972 burial honored family and birthplace. The 1992 reburial placed Nkrumah at Ghana’s heart—symbolically central to its identity and history.
• Nation-building and memory: The Accra mausoleum integrates Nkrumah into the national narrative, transforming him into a perpetual figure of independence and Pan-Africanism.
• Heritage and reconciliation: The park and museum aim to educate and foster unity thereby rehumanizing Nkrumah after years of political divisiveness.
Kindly add more information the list.
What common threads do you see in all these disputed burials of former Presidents.
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