Congo-Brazzaville’s 82-year-old President Denis Sassou Nguesso announced Thursday he will contest March’s presidential election, seeking to extend his decades-long rule.
Sassou Nguesso has accumulated 42 years in power, interrupted only by a five-year hiatus, cementing his position among Africa’s longest-serving leaders.
The oil-rich Central African nation of roughly six million people is scheduled to hold presidential elections on March 15.
“I will stand as a candidate,” Sassou Nguesso declared in a statement released by his office before thousands gathered in Ignie district.
Addressing a crowd dominated by farmers, the veteran leader promised to strengthen food security and support opportunities for the nation’s youth.
Despite vast fertile potential, only four percent of Congo-Brazzaville’s arable land is cultivated, leaving the country reliant on costly food imports.
Heavy dependence on imported food exposes citizens to volatile global prices, deepening economic vulnerability amid fluctuating oil revenues.
Human rights organisations continue raising alarms, accusing authorities of severely restricting fundamental freedoms and intimidating opposition figures.
If re-elected, Sassou Nguesso’s five-year term would likely be his last under constitutional provisions limiting presidents to three mandates.
He first ruled from 1979 under a single-party system before losing multiparty elections in 1992 to former prime minister Pascal Lissouba.
Sassou Nguesso returned to power after overthrowing Lissouba during a civil war in 1997, maintaining authority through successive contested elections.
A 2015 constitutional amendment removed previous two-term and age limits, enabling his victories in the 2016 and 2021 presidential elections.
The ruling Congolese Labour Party selected him as its “natural” candidate, while opposition leaders accuse him of electoral manipulation since 2002.
Three opposition parties have formed a fragile alliance to challenge him, as two former presidential contenders remain imprisoned following the disputed 2016 election.