Pascal Lissouba

Pascal Lissouba was born on November 15, 1931, in Tsinguidi. A brilliant plant geneticist who earned his doctorate from the Sorbonne in Paris, Lissouba worked for UNESCO and taught biology before serving as Prime Minister under Alphonse Massamba-Débat from 1963 to 1966.

In August 1992, in the Republic of the Congo's first free multi-party democratic election, Lissouba won the presidency at the head of the UPADS party. His administration negotiated improved petroleum revenue shares for the state. Ousted in October 1997 during the bloody civil war, he lived in French exile until his passing in 2020.