Valentine Stresser of Sierra Leone - The Story of the Youngest African President In History
Valentine Esegragbo Melvine Strasser, an ex-military officer who was the head of state for Sierra Leone between 1992 and 1996, is a former military leader. Although he was a junior military officer, he rose to the rank of Head of State in 1992 when he took power just three days after his 25th birthday.
Valentine Esegragbo Melvine Strasser, born 26 April 1967, is an ex-military commander who was the head of state for Sierra Leone between 1992 and 1996. Although he was a junior officer in the military, he rose to become the youngest Head of State in the world when he took power in 1992 just three days after his 25th birthday. He was one of six young soldiers from Sierra Leone who overthrew Joseph Saidu Momoh in a military coup on 29 April 1992. They created a military junta known as the National Provisional Ruling Council, (NPRC).
After nearly four years of rule, Strasser was forced to resign in January 1996. However, this time, it was his own NPRC troops who weren't satisfied with the way he handled the peace process. His deputy, Brigadier General Julius Maada Bio, led the coup.
Strasser was the first and only Sierra Leonean Head of State. Julius Maada Bio is the other. He was born after Sierra Leone became an independent nation. He is also the second Head of State for Sierra Leone from the Krio ethnicity.
Strasser was raised in the neighborhood of Allen Town, east of Sierra Leone's capital Freetown. He is the son of Creole parents. Strasser, who graduated from secondary school at the age of eighteen was enlisted in Republic of Sierra Leone Military Forces.
Valentine Esegragbo Melvin Strasser, a Creole-ethnic couple, was born in Freetown on 26 April 1967. Sir Albert Margai, the Prime Minister of Sierra Leone at the time Strasser was born, was still the head of the parliamentary government. Strasser was born in Allen Town, at the East End of Freetown.
Strasser graduated from Sierra Leone Grammar School, Freetown in 1985 when he was eighteen. Strasser excelled in mathematics and chemistry while in secondary school.
Military career
After graduating from secondary school in 1985 he enlisted in Republic of Sierra Leone Military Forces at the age of eighteen under the government of President Siaka Stephens. He was then deployed to military training at the Benguema Military Training Academy, Benguema which is just outside of Freetown. At the age of nineteen, he was commissioned in the Sierra Leone Army. He was assigned to Daru, Kailahun District of Eastern Sierra Leone.
Foday Sankoh, leader of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), launched their first attack in Buedu villages, Kailahun District on 25 March 1991. Strasser, along with other soldiers already stationed in Kailahun's military barracks, was sent to command the RUF and crush the rebellion.
Valentine Strasser was a fighter against the Liberian invasion of Sierra Leone before President Momoh was overthrown by his successor. He fought in particular in the East and South parts of Sierra Leone. Strasser had to fight domestic rebels (also known as sobels) in his fight. His presidency of President Momoh was short-lived because he refused to meet the demands of Sierra Leoneans at the time. He believed Momoh offered nothing more than his predecessor.
Presidency
The Government of Sierra Leone, headed by Joseph Saidu Momoh, did not provide enough boots and military equipment to Strasser and other soldiers fighting the RUF at Kailahun District's war front. Their welfare was not at the top priority of the government and they never received their wages on time.
After numerous warnings, threats and appeals, the young soldiers marched down from Kailahun in combat to the State House in Freetown, 29 April 1992 to protest their failures in pursuing war and demand their outstanding salaries. Strasser, his best friend and fellow soldier Seargent Solomon Musa, and Captain Sahr Sand led the group of soldiers. President Momoh fled the country after the soldiers appeared in the capital. He went into exile in Conakry in Guinea. The power vacuum inspired Strasser and his men, to seize power and form the NPRC with Strasser serving as its leader, and Head of State. At just twenty-five years old, Strasser was the youngest Head of state in the world. [4][5]
1996 Coup
After nearly four years of rule, Strasser was forced to resign in a military coup in January 1996. However, this time, it was his own NPRC members that were unhappy with his handling the peace process. His deputy, Brigadier General Julius Maada Bio and Colonel Tom Nyuma, led the coup. Bio rose quickly to become the leader of the coup with the support Nyuma, Mondeh, and took over as Head Of State of Sierra Leone.
Post-Presidency
Strasser was overthrown and awarded a fellowship from the UN to study law in Coventry at the University of Warwick. However, he stopped studying after only 18 months. [6] Strasser applied for asylum in England in 2000. He then fled for the Gambia but was denied entry. [7] He returned to Sierra Leone where he lived in poverty with a small pension in Grafton east of Freetown and was employed at the ICT Institute, which provided computer skills for youths. [10] He fell seriously ill in January 2019 and was flown to Ghana to receive treatment. [12] Since then, he has not been back to Sierra Leone.
Sad Story Of Ex-Sierra Leonean Head Of State Earning $46 As Pension
valentine strasser images
He is known for wearing faded clothes and drinking cheap gin and palm wine, and he lives with his mother. It is also widely believed that he may be in danger of losing his mind. Valentine Strasser was Sierra Leone's head state between 1992-96. Strasser is now 49 years old and an alcoholic who has become a shell of himself. He receives $46 in pension.
A letter addressed to President of Sierra Leone Ernest Bai Koromah was published in Standard Press Times five days ago. Donald Georgestone wrote the letter. It is the latest in a series that appeals to Koromah for help in Strasser’s desperate situation.
"The internet shows the deteriorating health of Valentine Strasser (former Head of State of Sierra Leone) and Valentine Strasser (former military officer), who went to war to protect the people of the Republic of Sierra Leone. It is visible all over the globe. The letter stated that the entire world was watching and waiting to see if the government had respect for the former Head of State of the country you govern and the former military officer who was killed in the line of duty.
Strasser was 25-years-old and an army captain. He and six other soldiers led troops against President Joseph S. Momoh to establish the National Provisional Ruling Council. Many hailed Strasser as a hero after he seized power. His junta was known as the "boys", because they were mostly in their 20s. Strasser was not a saint, however.
His government's execution of 29 suspected coup plotters was widely condemned. Julius Maada Bio was his second-in command and denied him the chance to hand over to a democratically elected government. He overthrew him in a bloodless coup on January 1, 1996.
Strasser was forced to flee and ended up in Britain where he received a scholarship from the United Nations to study Law at Warwick University. Although there were claims that the UN withdrew Strasser's scholarship after a year, Peter Dunn, the spokesperson for the university at the time, stated that Strasser had spent 18 months studying and that he was now out of money.
He went to London as a nightclub DJ but found himself quickly back in Sierra Leone. He did not receive the lavish reception that other former heads received, including a large mansion, a generous pension, and a team of bodyguards. In 1999, soldiers destroyed his house which he had built. He was forced to live in the house of his mother. Because he was elected to power by force, the Sierra Leonean government maintains that he does not have any other benefits than those that the army pays.
Strasser was a colorful character. He declared St. Valentine's Day a holiday after he took power. Strasser arrived in Limassol (Cyprus) in 1993 wearing sunglasses and a Tshirt that read "Sunny Days In Cyprus".
He spends his time with the common folk and does not enjoy the company of ex-leaders.
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