Émile Derlin Zinsou
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Emile Derlin Zinsou (born 23 March 1918) is a Benin political figure and was the President of Dahomey (now Benin) from July 17, 1968 until December 10, 1969, supported by the military regime that took power in 1967. He was previously the foreign minister of Dahomey from 1962 to 1963 and from 1965 to 1967. He is said to have opposed the one-party Marxist policies of Mathieu Kérékou, who ruled Benin from 1972 to 1990. Zinsou was present at the signing of the treaty that formed the African Union on 12 July 2000 in Togo. He was born in Ouidah.
Zinsou was a mediator in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during that country's civil war in the late 1990s; he arrived in Kinshasa on September 20, 1999, along with fellow mediator Padre Matteo Zuppi, and met with President Laurent-Desire Kabila.[1]
Zinsou is, as of 2007, the honorary president of the National Union for Democracy and Progress political party.[2] In January 2006, he announced his support for Yayi Boni in the March 2006 presidential election.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ "Congolese mediators meet Kabila", BBC News, September 23, 1999.
- ^ Chales Yansunnu, "Mathieu Kérékou refuse l’école des anciens présidents", Fraternite (sonangnon.net), June 15, 2007 (French).
- ^ Thibaud Nagnonhou, "5e Conseil national de l’UNDP : Le Président Zinsou et les siens jettent leur dévolu sur Yayi Boni", L'Informateur (sonangnon.net), January 23, 2006 (French).
| Preceded by Assogba Oké |
Foreign Minister of Benin 1962-1963 |
Succeeded by Hubert Maga |
| Preceded by Tahirou Congacou |
Foreign Minister of Benin 1965-1967 |
Succeeded by Benoît Sinzogan |
|
|||||||||||
 |
This article about a Beninese politician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
