Marcos to Rajapaksa: A short guide to leaders fleeing their nations

Gotabaya Rajapaksa is not the first leader to have fled their country in the face of popular unrest. Here is a brief list mentioning some of them

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country on Wednesday, hours before he was due to step down after a people's uprising over a devastating economic crisis ended his family's grip on the island nation.

A Reuters report quoting a government source and a person close to Rajapaksa said he was in Male, the capital of the Maldives. Rajapaksa would most likely proceed to another Asian country from there, the government source said.

Rajapaksa is not the first leader to have fled their country in the face of popular unrest. Here is a brief list mentioning some of them.

Idi Amin, Uganda (exile in Libya, Saudi Arabia)

Idi Amin was Uganda’s President between 1971 and 1979. Known as the 'Butcher of Uganda' for his brutality and shrewdness, Amin is reportedly responsible for the death of over 3,00,000 people in the country. He befriended Libya's ruler Mu'ammar Al-Qadhdhāfī and blamed for the famous 1976 Air France plane hijacking.

Amin ordered his troops to invade Tanzania in 1978 but the invasion failed and the next year he fled to Libya. In 1980, he shifted to Saudi Arabia and lived there till his death in 2003.

Mohammad Raza Pahlavi, Iran (Morocco, Bahamas, USA, Mexico, Panama, Egypt)

Mohammad Raza Pahlavi, who described himself as the 'Shah of Iran, ruled between 1941 and 1979. He was pro-west and actively collaborated with the USA to launch the 'White Revolution' in the country. It aimed at building infrastructure, encouraging industries and eradicating Malaria from the nation.

However, he was subjected to continuous criticism from the Shia clergy and students. In 1978, Iranian Revolution was launched under the leadership of a Shia clergy, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. In 1979, he fled the country and moved to Egypt and later to Morocco. He then went to the Bahamas and Mexico. The same year, he landed in the US for treatment of lymphatic cancer.

He next took asylum in Egypt where he died in 1980 at age 60.

Ferdinand Marcos, Philippines (USA)

Ferdinand Marcos was the Prime Minister and the President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. A lawyer by profession, Marcos came under heavy criticism for corruption and suppression of democracy. He was democratically elected as the Prime Minister in 1965 and soon imposed martial law in 1972. Several opposition leaders are said to have been jailed during the period. In 1981, he ended martial law but was elected as the President of the country, the same year.

His fall came when in 1983 he was accused of the murder of opposition leader Benigno Aquino, Jr. In 1986, he won the election against Aquino's widow claimed the election results were rigged. On February 25, 1986, he fled the country and moved to Hawaii, USA, where he died in 1989. Marcos' son, Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr, was elected the President of Philippines on June 30, 2022.

Fulgencio Batista, Cuba (Portugal, Spain)

Fulgencio Batista ruled Cuba for two tenures, one between 1933 and 1944, and the other between 1952 and 1959. In 1933, he led the revolt against Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and overthrew his government. He became the de facto leader of the country. His first term is considered to be one of prosperity and peace. He gathered patronage from civil society and the army. He was formally elected as the President in 1940 and went to the USA after his term ended in 1944.

As he was living in the US, Cuba was again mired with corrupt leaders and a breakdown of public services. In 1952, he returned to the country and overthrew Carlos Prío Socarrás through a bloodless coup.

However, the second term turned him into a brutal dictator. He was accused of embezzling vast sums of money and suppressing the democratic process. In the 1954 and 1958 elections, he was the only candidate for the post of President.

In 1958, the Cuban Revolution was started by Fidel Castro and it led to the collapse of Batista's regime. In 1959, he fled to the Dominican Republic, and then to Portugal. In 1973, when he died, he was living in the Spanish State of Malaga.

Mobutu Sese Seko, Democratic Republic of Congo (Togo, Morocco)

Mobutu Sese Seko was the President of Zaire (present Democratic Republic of Congo) between 1965 and 1997. He was an active journalist and became the Editor of the weekly Actualites Africaines. After the independence of the country in 1960, he was appointed as the secretary of state for national defence by then-President Joseph Kasavubu. Later, he was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the country's army.

In 1965, he ousted Kasavubu and took power into his hands. However, as his rule proceeded, the cases of corruption and mismanagement started going up. He was also given financial support from the Western countries for interfering with the politics of Congo's neighbours.

After the Cold War ended, financial assistance was pulled back. The public outcry against Seko grew louder and he was forced to flee to Togo, in 1997. He died in Rabat, Morocco, the same year.

Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia (Saudi Arabia)

Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali served as the President of Tunisia between 1987 and 2011. From 1964 to 1974, he served as the head of Tunisia military security, which provided him access to the top government officials. He went on to become the military attache of Tunisian embassy in Morocco. He also served as the ambassador to Poland. In 1986, he became the minister of interior. In 1987, he was appointed as the Primie Minister by the President Habib Bourguiba. 

He eventually tightened his grip around the politics of Tunisia. He came under criticism for human rights violation and suppressing democratic forces. He was also accused of smuggling drugs. 

During the Jasmine Revolution in the Arab Spring, he fled the country and went to Saudi Arabia. He was trid in absentia in the court in Tunisia and was awarded life sentences in several cases. However, he died in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 2019.