10 Most Brutal African Dictators
9. Muammar Gaddafi - Libya
In 1968, Colonel Gaddafi overthrew Libya's increasingly unpopular King Idris in a bloodless coup, championing the move as a victory for 'freedom, socialism, and unity.' Forty-three years later, Libyan's celebrated Gaddafi's death at the hands of rebels as the start of a new era of democracy in the Maghreb state.
Libya's short-running monarchy was replaced with the Revolutionary Command Council following the 1968 triumph, but in truth one autocrat was replaced with another, as Gaddafi began to dismantle the infrastructure of democracy. Known simply by the socialist-chic moniker 'Brother Leader', Gaddafi declared a jamahiriya - or 'state of the masses' - but over the first few years of his rule he removed parliament, opposition parties, and all forms of political freedom, putting government of the country in the hands of a select few - mostly his family.
Gaddafi's outlandish behaviour and political charisma misdirected attention away from the corruption he perpetuated. In the mid '70s, the first volume of Gaddafi's infamous 'Green Book' was published, explaining the 'Brother Leader's unique political solutions to the Western evils of capitalism and democracy. The country's flag was changed to pure green to reflect Gaddafi's ideology, and the ruler became one of a succession of African dictators to declare himself king of the continent. Gaddafi travelled around flanked by his all-female Amazonian Guard, with the personnel sworn to celibacy - though several later claimed to have been raped by Gaddafi himself. Trips abroad were accompanied by a bullet-proof Bedouin tent in which he entertained world leaders, and the colonel's antics soon earned him the nickname 'the mad dog of the Middle East'.
Within Libya, Gaddafi and his family hoarded a fortune thanks to the country's lucrative oil supplies, as the despot's oppressive rule ensured no-one could take his hands off the riches. But after four decades of largely unchecked dominion, the Arab Spring of 2011 finally provided the motivation for Libyans to oust their 'Brother Leader'. Gaddafi was captured and killed in his hometown of Sirte, and forty years of dictatorship were over within twelve months.