Editing Valentine Strasser

{{Short description|Head of State of Sierra Leone from 1992 to 1996}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Valentine Strasser
| nationality         = Sierra Leonean
| image               = Valentine Strasser illustration.png
| caption             = Illustration of Strasser produced by [[Voice of America]]
| order               = [[List of heads of state of Sierra Leone|Head of State of Sierra Leone]]
| deputy              = [[Solomon Musa]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32435083449264|title=Chiefs of State and Cabinet members of foreign governments / National Foreign Assessment Center. 1992May-Oct.|via=HathiTrust|year=2003|hdl=2027/osu.32435083449264}}</ref><br/>[[Julius Maada Bio]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/osu.32435083447896|title=Chiefs of State and Cabinet members of foreign governments / National Foreign Assessment Center. 1995Jan-Apr 1995.|via=HathiTrust|year=2003|hdl=2027/osu.32435083447896}}</ref>
| term_start          = 1 May 1992
| term_end            = 16 January 1996
| predecessor         = [[Yahya Kanu]]
| successor           = [[Julius Maada Bio]]
| office2             = Chairman of the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC)
| term_start2         = 1 May 1992
| term_end2           = 16 January 1996
| primeminister2      = 
| predecessor2        = Yahya Kanu
| successor2          = [[Julius Maada Bio]]
| office3             = 
| term_start3         = 
| term_end3           = 
| primeminister3      = 
| predecessor3        = 
| office4             = 
| term_start4         = 
| term_end4           = 
| primeminister4      = 
| predecessor4        = 
| successor4          = 
| birth_name          = Valentine Esegragbo Melvine Strasser
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1967|4|26}}
| birth_place         = [[Freetown]], Sierra Leone
| ethnicity           = 
| party               = [[Military Junta]] (National Provisional Ruling Council- NPRC)
| spouse              = 
| children            = Valentine Strasser Jr
| residence           = [[Newton, Sierra Leone|Newton]], Sierra Leone
| alma_mater          = [[University of Warwick]], [[Coventry]], England, UK
| profession          = Army officer
| blank1              = Religion
| data1               = [[Anglican]]
| allegiance          = 
| branch              = [[Sierra Leone Army]]
| serviceyears        = 1985–1996
| rank                = [[Captain (OF-2)|Captain]]
| unit                = 
| commands            = 
| battles             = [[Sierra Leone Civil War]]
| awards              = 
| alt                 = Illustration of a headshot of Strasser in a military uniform on a white background
}}

'''Valentine Esegragbo Melvine Strasser''' (born 26 April 1967) is a former Sierra Leonean military officer who served as [[Heads of Government of Sierra Leone|head of state]] of [[Sierra Leone]] from 1992 to 1996. He became the world's youngest head of state in 1992, seizing power three days after his 25th birthday.

Strasser was born and raised in the neighbourhood of [[Allen Town]] in the east end of Sierra Leone's capital [[Freetown]] to [[Krio people|Creole]] parents. He [[Military service|enlisted]] in the [[Republic of Sierra Leone Military Forces]] (RSLMF) at age eighteen, immediately after graduating from [[secondary school]]. In the context of the [[Sierra Leone Civil War]] which had erupted in the previous year, he led a [[1992 Sierra Leonean coup d'état|coup d'état in 1992]] which overthrew president [[Joseph Saidu Momoh]]. He then established the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) [[military junta]]. During the war, he hired [[Executive Outcomes]], a South African mercenary firm to repel the [[Revolutionary United Front]] (RUF) rebel group.

As the war continued, after nearly four years in power, Strasser was ousted in a second [[military coup]] in 1996,<ref>{{cite press release |author=<!--Not stated--> |title=SECRETARY-GENERAL DISTURBED BY REPORTS OF COUP D'ETAT IN SIERRA LEONE |url=https://www.un.org/press/en/1996/19960116.sgsm5874.html |publisher=United Nations |date=1996-01-16 |access-date=2022-05-02}}</ref> led by his deputy, [[Brigadier General]] [[Julius Maada Bio]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Sierra Leone - Civil War |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Britannica |date=2008-03-19 |year=2008 |last=Tikkanen |first=Amy |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Sierra-Leone/Civil-war |access-date=2022-05-02}}</ref> Following his overthrow, he lived in England where he unsuccessfully sought asylum. He later unsuccessfully attempted to enter [[the Gambia]] in 2000 before eventually returning to Sierra Leone.

==Early life==
Valentine Esegragbo Melvin Strasser was born on 26 April 1967 in [[Freetown]], the capital of Sierra Leone, to parents from the [[Krio people|Creole]] ethnic group. At the time of Strasser's birth, Sir [[Albert Margai]] was the Prime Minister of Sierra Leone when the country was a [[parliamentary government]]. Strasser grew up in the neighbourhood of [[Allen Town]], in the extreme East End of Freetown.

Strasser completed his secondary education at the Sierra Leone Grammar School in Freetown and graduated in 1985 at age eighteen. While in secondary school, Strasser was a gifted student in [[math]] and [[chemistry]].

==Military career==
On graduation from secondary school in 1985, he [[Military service|enlisted]] in the [[Republic of Sierra Leone Military Forces]] (RSLMF) at the age of eighteen during the government of President [[Siaka Stevens]], and was deployed for military training as a [[cadet]] officer at the Benguema Military Training Academy in [[Benguema]], a town located just outside Freetown. After his training, he was commissioned into the Sierra Leone army at the young age of nineteen. He was posted to a [[military barracks]] in [[Daru, Sierra Leone|Daru]], [[Kailahun District]] in Eastern Sierra Leone.

The [[Revolutionary United Front]] (RUF) led by [[Foday Sankoh]] began their first attack on 25 March 1991 in Buedu villages in Kailahun District. Strasser and other soldiers who were already in a military barracks in Kailahun, were sent to command and rout the rebellion against the RUF.

Before President Momoh was removed by his successor, Valentine Strasser fought against the Liberian invasion in Sierra Leone, particularly in the East and South of Sierra Leone. Strasser in his fight had to go up against domestic rebels, also known as sobels. President Momoh's presidency was not long-lasting because he denied the demands of the people of Sierra Leone who at the time of his regime wanted a more cooperative political system and thought Momoh provided nothing different than his predecessor.”<ref>{{cite journal |first=Alfred B.|last=Zack-Williams|author2=Stephen Riley|title= Sierra Leone: The Coup and Its Consequences.|journal=[[Review of African Political Economy]]|number= 56 |date=March 1993|volume=20|page=91|jstor=4006128|doi=10.1080/03056249308703989}}</ref>

==1992 coup and tenure as head of state ==
During Strasser's time at the war front in Kailahun District against the RUF, the Government of Sierra Leone led by president [[Joseph Saidu Momoh]] hardly supplied enough boots to the soldiers and the necessary military equipment to help fortify Strasser and his fellow soldiers in the war against the RUF. The soldiers never received their salaries on time and their welfare was hardly at the top of the government's list of priorities.

After many appeals, warnings or threats, the young soldiers decided to march down in their combat from [[Kailahun]] to the [[State House (Sierra Leone)|State House]] in Freetown on 29 April 1992, to protest about their setbacks in pursuing the war, demanding their outstanding salaries. The group of soldiers was led by Strasser himself and his two best friends and fellow soldiers [[Seargent]] [[Solomon Musa]] and [[Captain]] Sahr Sandy. The appearance of the soldiers in the capital city forced president Momoh to flee the country and he went into [[exile]] in [[Conakry]], Guinea. This power vacuum motivated Strasser and his men to seize power, forming the NPRC, with Strasser as its leader and the [[Head of State]] of the country. Strasser became the youngest [[Head of State]] in the world at just twenty five years old.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/news/614 |title=Akam '09 profiles former African dictator Valentine Strasser |first=Simon |last=Akam |date=13 February 2012 |work=Columbia Journalism School |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210222818/http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/news/614 |archive-date=10 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldpress.org/Africa/3216.cfm |title=Harvest of Shame: Former Sierra Leonean Ruler Valentine Strasser |first=Roland |last=Marke |date=4 August 2008 |work=[[World Press Review]]}}</ref>

==1996 coup==
In January 1996, after nearly four years in power, Strasser was ousted in another [[military coup]], but this time it was his own NPRC members who were not satisfied with his handling of the peace process. The coup was led by his deputy, [[Brigadier General]] [[Julius Maada Bio]], along with Colonel [[Tom Nyuma]] and Captain [[Komba Mondeh]]. Bio quickly rose as the leader of the coup, with the support of Nyuma and Mondeh and took over as Head of State of Sierra Leone.

==Post-leadership==
Following his overthrow, Strasser was given a fellowship by the UN to study law at the [[University of Warwick]] in [[Coventry]], England, but stopped his studies after 18 months.<ref>{{cite news |first=Todd |last=Pitman |title=Ex-Dictator, Jobless, Lives Off His Mom |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/national/article/Ex-dictator-jobless-lives-off-his-mom-1092058.php |newspaper=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]] |agency=Associated Press |date=24 July 2002}}</ref> In 2000, Strasser's application for asylum in England was rejected; he then left for [[the Gambia]], only to be denied entry.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/nov/26/sierraleone |title=Ousted ruler may face Sierra Leone war crimes court |first=Burhan |last=Wazir |date=26 November 2000 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> He eventually returned to Sierra Leone, where he lived in poverty on a small pension in [[Grafton, Sierra Leone|Grafton]], east of Freetown,<ref name="NewStatesman">{{cite news |first=Simon |last=Akam |title=The Vagabond king |date=2 February 2012 | newspaper=[[New Statesman]] |url=http://www.newstatesman.com/africa/2012/01/sierra-leone-strasser-war |access-date=15 April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.africareview.com/Special-Reports/Former-president-thrown-to-wolves/-/979182/1328066/-/2ec6q5/-/index.html |title=Ex-Sierra Leone president stripped of all power trappings |first=Janet |last=Otieno |date=5 February 2012 |work=Africa Review |access-date=18 August 2014}}</ref> and worked at the [[Information and communications technology|ICT]] Institute providing computer skills for youths.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thepatrioticvanguard.com/spip.php?article6439 |title=Sierra Leone: Retired Captain Valentine M. Strasser breaks his silence |first=Roland |last=Bankole |date=26 March 2012 |work=Patriotic Vanguard |access-date=18 August 2014}}</ref>

In January 2019, he fell gravely ill<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.thesierraleonetelegraph.com/former-head-of-sierra-leones-military-regime-valentine-strasser-is-seriously-ill/ |title=Former head of Sierra Leone's military regime – Valentine Strasser is seriously ill |first=Abdul Rashid |last=Thomas |date=9 January 2019 |work=Sierra Leone Telegraph |access-date=29 May 2019}}</ref> and was flown to [[Ghana]] for treatment.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://theorganiser.net/africa/111-ghana-hospital-discharges-ex-sierra-leone-leader-strasser-recovers-at-home|title=Ghana Hospital Discharges Ex-Sierra Leone Leader Strasser & Recovers at Home! |date=21 January 2019 |work=The Organiser.net |access-date=29 May 2019}}</ref> His left leg was partially amputated due to [[peripheral artery disease]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-07-05|title=Sierra Leone News: Valentine Strasser's leg amputated in Ghana|url=https://awokonewspaper.sl/sierra-leone-news-valentine-strassers-leg-amputated-in-ghana/|access-date=2022-01-12|website=Awoko Newspaper|language=en-US}}</ref> After undergoing rehabilitation, he returned to Sierra Leone in July 2021, and received an apartment from President Bio.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wright|first=Esther|date=2021-07-07|title=Captain (Rtd) Valentine Strasser's Status Restored|url=https://thecalabashnewspaper.com/captain-rtd-valentine-strassers-status-restored/|access-date=2022-01-12|website=The Calabash Newspaper Sierra Leone|language=en-US}}</ref> Amadu Makalo Koita, a member of the opposition [[All People's Congress]], later alleged that the government was keeping Strasser under [[house arrest]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Shaw|first=Abu|date=2021-08-17|title=Former Sierra Leone President Strasser is Under House Arrest Hatched by President Bio|url=https://theorganiser.net/sierra-leone/3366-former-sierra-leone-president-strasser-is-under-house-arrest-hatched-by-president-bio|access-date=2022-01-12|website=theorganiser.net}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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{{succession box|title=[[List of heads of state of Sierra Leone|Chairman of the National Provisional Ruling Council of Sierra Leone]]|before=[[Yahya Kanu]]|after=[[Julius Maada Bio]]|years=1992–1996}}
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{{Presidents, Sierra Leone}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strasser, Valentine}}
[[Category:1967 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Politicians from Freetown]]
[[Category:Sierra Leonean politicians]]
[[Category:Leaders who took power by coup]]
[[Category:Leaders ousted by a coup]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Warwick]]
[[Category:Sierra Leone Creole people]]
[[Category:Sierra Leonean Christians]]
[[Category:People of the Sierra Leone Civil War]]
[[Category:Sierra Leonean military personnel]]
[[Category:Sierra Leonean amputees]]
[[Category:20th-century Sierra Leonean politicians]]