From Power to Exile: World Leaders Who Fled Their Countries During Political Upheavals

Sheikh Hasina, Muammar Gaddafi and Gotabaya Rajapaksa were among prominent world leaders forced to flee their countries.

Johannesburg:

Throughout history, numerous seemingly invincible leaders have been forced to abandon their countries or go into hiding to escape imprisonment, execution, or political retribution by incoming governments following revolutions, military takeovers, or widespread protests.

The most recent addition to this list is Andry Rajoelina, Madagascar's president, who was overthrown in a military coup this week. His downfall followed weeks of Generation Z-led protests over economic hardship, lack of opportunities, and persistent power outages across the Indian Ocean island nation.

Here's an examination of other political leaders who have faced similar fates.

Bashar Assad fled to Russia in 2024 as Syrian rebels advanced toward Damascus, ending his family's 51-year rule over the country. Despite years of support from Russian and Iranian allies during a 13-year civil war, Assad ultimately sought refuge in Moscow. President Putin has provided protection to Assad and his family while refusing extradition requests from Syria.

In August 2024, Bangladesh's longest-serving prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, was compelled to resign and leave the country after prolonged student-led protests successfully toppled her government. According to UN human rights estimates, approximately 1,400 people were killed when security forces cracked down on these demonstrations. Hasina, who remains in exile in India, initially became prime minister in 1996 and returned to power in 2008. Her father, Sheikh Mujib Rahman, Bangladesh's first independent leader, was assassinated during a 1975 military coup.

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa escaped to the Maldives in July 2022 following months of protests triggered by a devastating economic crisis that left the country unable to pay for essential imports. Sri Lankans held the powerful Rajapaksa family dynasty responsible for the economic collapse. Gotabaya was forced to resign, along with his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa who served as prime minister, and several other family members in government positions. Gotabaya returned to Sri Lanka approximately two months after his initial departure.

In February 2014, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych fled Kyiv following deadly protests and eventually surfaced in Russia. The unrest began when Yanukovych abandoned an agreement with the European Union in favor of a $15 billion bailout from Russia. Despite negotiating a deal with opposition leaders, Yanukovych secretly left the capital. Ukrainian parliamentarians subsequently voted to impeach him and issue an arrest warrant following protests that resulted in dozens of civilian casualties. Both Putin and Yanukovych later confirmed that Russian forces facilitated Yanukovych's escape through Crimea.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi lost his four-decade grip on power during the 2011 Libyan Civil War, part of the broader Arab Spring uprisings. After rebel forces captured Tripoli, Gaddafi fled with loyal supporters and hid for weeks during the siege of his hometown, Sirte. On October 20, 2011, while attempting to escape in a convoy, Gaddafi's group was struck by a NATO air attack. Opposition forces discovered him hiding in a drainage pipe, captured him, and killed him. His body was publicly displayed before being buried in a remote desert location.

Marc Ravalomanana, Madagascar's sixth president, was overthrown in 2009 by a military coup led by Rajoelina, who was then Antananarivo's mayor. After transferring power to a military council, Ravalomanana fled to South Africa. The international community condemned the takeover as a coup and suspended all but humanitarian aid. Ravalomanana was later convicted in absentia of conspiracy to commit murder related to violence during his overthrow and sentenced to life imprisonment in what Amnesty International described as an "unfair" trial. After more than five years in exile, he returned to Madagascar, was arrested, but eventually had his sentence lifted and was released from house arrest.

Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide fled his country twice during military coups. The first occurred just six months after he became Haiti's first democratically elected leader in 1991, when his reforms angered the military elite. He escaped to Venezuela following his government's collapse but was reinstated with U.S. assistance to complete his term from 1994 to 1996. After winning election again in 2000, Aristide faced another crisis by 2004 when popular rebellion forced his resignation. He fled Haiti for the second time aboard a U.S.-chartered plane to the Central African Republic before settling in South Africa. Aristide eventually returned to Haiti in 2011.