Leon Mba
1902 – 1967 Gabonese first president of Gabon
Gabon's first president, a strongly pro-French leader restored to power by French troops after a 1964 coup.
- Affiliations
- Bloc democratique gabonais
Leon Mba led Gabon to independence in 1960 and became its first president, favouring very close ties with France and even, earlier, proposing that Gabon remain a French department. In February 1964 a group of officers briefly overthrew him, and France sent troops to put him back in power, one of the clearest cases of direct French military intervention to protect a client ruler. Mba then narrowed political space and groomed Omar Bongo as his successor. He died of cancer in 1967, and Bongo took over.
Connections
- associate of Jacques Foccart — France, coordinated by Foccart, sent troops to restore Mba after the 1964 coup.
- successor of Omar Bongo — Groomed Bongo, who succeeded him as president in 1967.
- successor of Omar Bongo — Rose under Mba and succeeded him as president of Gabon in 1967.
In the timeline
- 1960 Independence of Gabon first president at independence