Nigerian military ruler Sani Abacha died suddenly in office, ending a repressive five-year rule marked by human rights abuses and international sanctions.
DeathOn this day — June 8 in African history
Real events, births and milestones from Africa and the diaspora.
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Omar Bongo, who had ruled Gabon for nearly 42 years, one of the longest presidential tenures in modern history, died.
DeathLena Baker, an African-American woman later exonerated posthumously after being wrongfully executed in Georgia, was born.
Civil RightsMolade Okoya-Thomas, a prominent Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, was born.
Birth