Valentine Strasser

Valentine Esegragbo Melvin Strasser was born on 26 April 1967 in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, to parents from the Creole ethnic group. At the time of Strasser's birth, Sir Albert Margai was the Prime Minister of Sierra Leone when the country was a parliamentary government. Strasser grew up in the neighbourhood of Allen Town, in the extreme East End of Freetown.

Strasser completed his secondary education at the Sierra Leone Grammar School in Freetown and graduated in 1985 at age eighteen. While in secondary school, Strasser was a gifted student in math and chemistry.

On graduation from secondary school in 1985, he enlisted in the Republic of Sierra Leone Military Forces (RSLMF) at the age of eighteen during the government of President Siaka Stevens, and was deployed for military training as a cadet officer at the Benguema Military Training Academy in Benguema, a town located just outside Freetown. After his training, he was commissioned into the Sierra Leone army at the young age of nineteen. He was posted to a military barracks in Daru, Kailahun District in Eastern Sierra Leone.

The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) led by Foday Sankoh began their first attack on 25 March 1991 in Buedu villages in Kailahun District. Strasser and other soldiers who were already in a military barracks in Kailahun, were sent to command and rout the rebellion against the RUF.

Before President Momoh was removed by his successor, Valentine Strasser fought against the Liberian invasion in Sierra Leone, particularly in the East and South of Sierra Leone. Strasser in his fight had to go up against domestic rebels, also known as sobels. President Momoh’s presidency was not long-lasting because he denied the demands of the people of Sierra Leone at the time of his regime wanted a more cooperative political system and thought Momoh provided nothing different than his predecessor.”[3]

During Strasser's time at the war front in Kailahun District against the RUF, the Government of Sierra Leone led by president Joseph Saidu Momoh hardly supplied enough boots to the soldiers and the necessary military equipment to help fortify Strasser and his fellow soldiers in the war against the RUF. The soldiers never received their salaries on time and their welfare was hardly at the top of the government's list of priorities.

After many appeals, warnings or threats, the young soldiers decided to march down in their combat from Kailahun to the State House in Freetown on 29 April 1992, to protest about their setbacks in pursuing the war, demanding their outstanding salaries. The group of soldiers was led by Strasser himself and his two best friends and fellow soldiers Seargent Solomon Musa and Captain Sahr Sandy. The appearance of the soldiers in the capital city forced president Momoh to flee the country and he went into exile in Conakry, Guinea. This power vacuum motivated Strasser and his men to seize power, forming the NPRC, with Strasser as its leader and the Head of State of the country. Strasser became the youngest Head of State in the world at just twenty five years old.[4][5]

After five years into the war in Sierra Leone, a major of soldier armies gained control in 1997. The rebellion consisted of almost the entirety of the Sierra Leone Army. The soldiers that participated in the rebellion were collectively called sobels, soldiers-turned-rebel. These sobel gained popularity and were recruited into the army in the early 1990s. At the time, Captain Valentine Strasser, who was a military strong head, became the youngest Head of State by the age twenty-seven, youngest in the world. Strasser completely shifted the Sierra Leone army by increasing its size by triple, as the army reach approximately twenty thousand soldiers. Strasser was able to recruit soldiers from all types of backgrounds including school dropout, drug addicts, and the poor. His army’s demographic led to people’s belief that the army was not ready for war.2

In January 1996, after nearly four years in power, Strasser was ousted in another military coup, but this time it was his own NPRC members who were not satisfied with his handling of the peace process. The coup was led by his deputy, Brigadier General Julius Maada Bio, Colonel Tom Nyuma and Captain Komba Mondeh. Bio quickly rose as the leader of the coup, with the support of Nyuma and Mondeh and took over as Head of State of Sierra Leone.

On 29 April 1992, after dissatisfaction of President Momoh’s presidency, some members of the Sierra leone military rebelled against his regime. Momoh's successor was the youngest head of state in the world, Captain Valentine Strasser. Strasser, a twenty-seven-year-old soldier who had been fighting against domestic rebels known as sobels and Liberian invaders in the South and East of the country. This gathering of soldiers and Sierra Leone’s involved in this rebellion was a part of the 1996 coup. This coup was unlike other political policies and rebellions that other African countries have been a part of. The coup began as President Momoh’s regime invalidated the concerns of the people of Sierra Leone as his political was unresponsive and stagnant compared to the regime before him or even compared to neighboring countries like Ghana. However, as Strasser’s regime become more authoritarian, the people were concerned with their human rights causing it to run up as said by domestic and external critics. In a military trial involving several army officers in December of 1992, 26 people were executed. The 26 individuals consisted of junior army officers, policeman, politicians and regular civilians. They were executed for being accused in two alleged conspiracies against Strasser's government.3

After replacing President Momoh, Strasser participated in an interview in which he described the difficulties of his battle against his enemies. He described how his enemy's weapons were obsolete though, he witnesses his fellow soldiers by his side. One of the hardships that were mentioned was the lack of medical aid as one of his friends had to be operated on his leg without anesthesia.

After Strasser’s military coup, people assumed similarities between the rebellion and the first Rawling intervention in Ghana during June of 1979. Strasser, Musa and other coup leaders all used similar ways of creating a direct relationship with the people by using redemption, anti-corruption and personal sacrifice. During this rebellion, the people of Sierra Leone referred to Strasser as 'The Redeemer'. Strasser’s regime also drew parallels of one of the political parties under Momoh's introduction to democratic system. During Mom’s presidency, the National Democratic Party (NDP) had involved a group of lawyers, intellectuals and civil servants who were unhappy with Momoh's promises.4

After Captain Valentine Strasser gained power as head of state thanks to his military coup, his government soon started to oppose against Strasser’s government as well as the Revolutionary United Front. The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was led by Froday Sankoh. Sierra Leone’s military had been weakened under the government that was came before Valentine Strasser’s rebellion. The Revolutionary United Front attempt to oppose Strasser’s army was calculated and thus, the government was ill-equipped to fight against RUF’s attack. The Strasser’s government performed better but by 1995 RUF continued to make military advances into Sierra Leone’s capital. In an effort to confront RUF’s advance’s in April 1995, Strasser hired EO, a part of Strategic Resource Corporation, In April 1995, Strasser hired to conduct offensive operations against RUF. The corporation was equipped with security services for private and corporate clients.”5

Following his overthrow, Strasser was given a fellowship by the UN to study law at the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, but stopped his studies after 18 months.[6] In 2000, Strasser's application for asylum in England was rejected; he then left for the Gambia, only to be denied entry.[7] He eventually returned to Sierra Leone, where he lived in poverty on a small pension in Grafton, east of Freetown,[8][9] and worked at the ICT Institute providing computer skills for youths.[10] In January 2019, he fell gravely ill[11] and was flown to Ghana for treatment.[12] He has not returned to Sierra Leone since then.