Valentine Strasser
| Valentine Strasser | |
|---|---|
| Head of State of Sierra Leone | |
|
In office 29 April 1992 – 16 January 1996 |
|
| Preceded by | Joseph Saidu Momoh |
| Succeeded by | Julius Maada Bio |
| Chairman of the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC) | |
|
In office 29 April 1992 – 16 January 1996 |
|
| Preceded by | Position created |
| Succeeded by | Julius Maada Bio |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Valentine Esegragbo Melvine Strasser 26 April 1967 Freetown, Sierra Leone |
| Nationality | Sierra Leonean |
| Political party | Military Junta (National Provisional Ruling Council- NPRC) |
| Residence | Newton, Western Area, Sierra Leone |
| Alma mater | University of Warwick, Coventry, England, UK |
| Profession | Soldier |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | Sierra Leone Army |
| Years of service | 1985–1996 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | Sierra Leone Civil War |
Valentine Esegragbo Melvine Strasser (born on 26 April 1967 in Freetown, Sierra Leone) served as head of state of Sierra Leone from 1992 to 1996. He had been a junior military officer but in 1992, he became the world's youngest Head of State when he seized power three days after his 25th birthday. He was the leading member in a group of six young Sierra Leonean soldiers who overthrew president Joseph Saidu Momoh in the 29 April 1992 military coup. They established a military junta called the National Provisional Ruling Council (NPRC).
On January 1996, after nearly four years in power, Strasser was ousted in a second military coup, but this time it was his own NPRC soldiers who were not satisfied with his handling of the peace process. The coup was led by his deputy, Brigadier General Julius Maada Bio.
Stresser is the first, and one of two Sierra Leonean Head of State (the other is Julius Maada Bio) born after Sierra Leone had become an Independent nation. He is also the second Sierra Leonean Head of State from the Krio ethnic group.
Strasser was born and raised in the neighbourhood of Allen Town in the east end of Sierra Leone's capital Freetown to Creole parents. Strasser enlisted in the Republic of Sierra Leone Military Forces (RSLMF) at age eighteen, immediately after graduating from secondary school.
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