History is replete with powerful leaders forced to abandon their thrones and flee — driven out by mass protests, uprisings, and military coups. Many once seen as untouchable have gone into exile to escape imprisonment, execution, or political revenge.
The latest to join that list is Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina, ousted this week following a military coup after weeks of youth-led demonstrations over hardship, unemployment, and power shortages.
Here’s a look at other leaders who faced similar fates:
Bashar Assad
In 2024, former Syrian leader Bashar Assad fled to Russia as rebel forces closed in on Damascus, ending his family’s 51-year rule. Backed for years by Moscow and Tehran during Syria’s 13-year civil war, Assad sought refuge in Russia, where President Vladimir Putin granted him and his family protection, refusing to extradite him.
Sheikh Hasina
Bangladesh’s longest-serving prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, was forced to resign and flee to India in August 2024 after weeks of massive student-led protests toppled her government. According to the UN human rights office, about 1,400 people were killed in the ensuing crackdown. Hasina, who first became prime minister in 1996 and returned to power in 2008, is the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country’s founding leader who was assassinated in 1975.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives in July 2022 following months of protests over the island nation’s economic collapse. Shortages of food, fuel, and foreign reserves triggered mass anger at the Rajapaksa family dynasty. Gotabaya resigned soon after, alongside his brother and former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and other relatives in the cabinet.
Viktor Yanukovych
In February 2014, after deadly clashes in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia. The unrest began when he scrapped an EU trade deal in favor of a $15 billion loan from Moscow. Lawmakers later impeached him and issued an arrest warrant as Russian forces reportedly helped him escape through Crimea.
Moammar Gadhafi
Libya’s longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi lost control during the 2011 Arab Spring uprising. After rebels captured Tripoli, he fled to his hometown Sirte, hiding for weeks before being found and killed on October 20, 2011, when NATO strikes hit his convoy. His body was displayed publicly before being buried in an undisclosed desert location.
Marc Ravalomanana
Madagascar’s sixth president, Marc Ravalomanana, was overthrown in 2009 by then-mayor Andry Rajoelina — the same man now deposed. Ravalomanana fled to South Africa as the world condemned the coup. Tried in absentia and sentenced to life imprisonment, he later returned after five years in exile and was freed from house arrest in 2015.
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Haiti’s first democratically elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, fled his country twice. The first time was in 1991, only six months into office, after angering the military elite. He returned in 1994 with U.S. support. Elected again in 2000, Aristide was ousted in 2004 amid rebellion and left on a U.S.-chartered plane to the Central African Republic before settling in South Africa. He returned to Haiti in 2011.
Source: AP