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Awolowo, Obafemi

(Encyclopedia)Awolowo, Obafemi ôbäfāˈmē äwōlōˈwō [key], 1909–87, Nigerian statesman, a Yoruba chief, commonly known as “Awo.” In politics from 1940, he was one of the founders (1943) of the Nigerian...

Kountché, Seyni

(Encyclopedia)Kountché, Seyni sānēˈ ko͞onchāˈ [key], 1931–87, president of Niger (1974–87). He was army chief of staff when he ousted Hamani Diori, Niger's first president, in a military coup. He suspend...

Castelo Branco, Humberto

(Encyclopedia)Castelo Branco, Humberto o͞ombĕrˈto͝o kəshtĕˈlo͝o brängˈko͝o [key], 1900–1967, president of Brazil (1964–67). An army officer, he served as chief of staff of the Brazilian army before p...

Strasser, Gregor

(Encyclopedia)Strasser, Gregor grāˈgōr shträsˈər [key], 1892–1934, German political leader. A pharmacist, he joined the National Socialist (Nazi) party in its infancy and participated in Adolf Hitler's abor...

Bio, Julius Maada

(Encyclopedia)Bio, Julius Maada, 1964–, Sierra Leonean political leader. He served in the Sierra Leone armed forces in Liberia (1990–91) as part of a UN peacekeeping force, and then fought in the Sierra Leone c...

Mujibur Rahman

(Encyclopedia)Mujibur Rahman mo͞ojēbo͝orˈ rämänˈ [key], 1921–75, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) political leader, prime minister of Bangladesh (1972–75), popularly known as Sheikh Mujib. Concerned that E...

Diori, Hamani

(Encyclopedia)Diori, Hamani, 1916–89, Nigerien political leader. A teacher in Niger and Paris, and then a school headmaster in Niamey, Niger, he helped found (1946) the Niger Progressive party (PPN). After servin...

Jourdan, Jean Baptiste

(Encyclopedia)Jourdan, Jean Baptiste zhäN bätēstˈ zho͞ordäNˈ [key], 1762–1833, marshal of France. He fought in the American Revolution, and in the French Revolutionary Wars he commanded the Army of the Nor...

Montholon, Charles Tristan, marquis de

(Encyclopedia)Montholon, Charles Tristan, marquis de shärl trēstäNˈ märkēˈ də môNtōlôNˈ [key], 1783–1853, French general in the Napoleonic Wars. He accompanied the former emperor, Napoleon I, to St. H...

Odría, Manuel

(Encyclopedia)Odría, Manuel mäno͞oĕlˈ ōdrēˈä [key], 1897–1974, president of Peru (1948–56). A conservative general, he became army chief of staff in 1946 and seized power (1948) after leading an anti-A...