Marien Ngouabi (31 December 1938-18 March 1977) was President of the People's Republic of the Congo from 1 January 1969 to 18 March 1977, preceding Joachim Yhombi-Opango.
Biography[]
Marien Ngouabi was born on 31 December 1938 in Ombelle, Cuvette, French Congo to a family of humble origins. Ngouabi served in the army of the Republic of the Congo and created its first paratrooper battalion in 1965, and in 1968 President Alphonse Massamba-Debat arrested him for his leftist views. His arrest led to the military being discontented, and on 31 July 1968 he was freed by the soldiers. The military launched a coup, and on 1 January 1969 he became the head of the country. In 1970, he proclaimed the People's Republic of the Congo as a communist country, nationalizing means of production in 1972. He was friendly with France at first, but his refusal to annex Angola's Cabinda enclave cost him French support, and France began to support the opposition. On 18 March 1977, he was assassinated by a squad of dissidents, and Massamba-Debat and other opposition members were executed as a result.