From Sheikh Hasina to Pervez Musharraf: Leaders who fled their countries amid political turmoil

Throughout history, political and civil upheavals have forced many world leaders to flee their homelands. On Monday, a similar drama unfolded in Bangladesh, where ruling Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina resigned as Prime Minister and escaped with her sister to a “safer” destination in India.

However, India is not her final stop. Reports indicate that Hasina will be travelling to the United Kingdom, where she has sought political asylum, with speculations that she might also consider Finland.

Currently, Bangladesh is grappling with uncertainty and political turmoil following a deadly crackdown on demonstrations. What began as protests against job quotas escalated into a widespread movement demanding Hasina’s ouster, resulting in hundreds of deaths.

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Hasina’s resignation and flight into exile mark the end of her 15-year stint in power. She has dominated Bangladeshi politics for 20 of the last 30 years, leading the political movement she inherited from her father and founder of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, who was assassinated along with most of his family in a 1975 coup.

After this tragedy, Hasina sought refuge in New Delhi, where she lived with her children under an assumed identity for six years. She resided in India as a guest of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s government before returning to Bangladesh in 1981 as the President of her father’s party, Awami League.

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Amid the political turmoil, Bangladesh’s President Mohammed Shahabuddin has announced plans to form an interim government and dissolve parliament as soon as possible to stabilise the nation during this period of intense political uproar.

Here’s a list of world leaders who have fled their home countries after facing upheaval at home

Gotabaya Rajapaksa (Sri Lanka)

The President of Sri Lanka from November 2019 until July 2022, Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s administration was met with intense protests and public unrest after a severe economic crisis brought the island country to its knees.

According to BBC, the country had faced daily power cuts and even shortages of basics like fuel, food, and medicines.

Initially, President Rajapaksa, along with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, attempted to manage the crisis. However, as protests escalated and became more violent, he was compelled to leave his official residence. His journey took him to the Maldives and then to Singapore, where he ultimately resigned from office.

In September 2022, Rajapaksa returned to Sri Lanka and is now reportedly eyeing a political comeback ahead of the impending elections.

Ashraf Ghani (Afghanistan)

Ashraf Ghani served as the President of Afghanistan from September 2014 until August 2021. In the summer of 2021, as the Taliban made rapid advances across the country, Ghani faced mounting pressure and threats to his government.

On 15 August 2021, as the Taliban entered Kabul and the situation descended into chaos and panic, Ghani fled Afghanistan. In an interview with the BBC, the former president revealed that he was given “no more than two minutes” to prepare to flee the capital. He initially escaped to Tajikistan before moving to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, where he was granted asylum.

Just a few days before Ghanis’ escape, an American military assessment had predicted that Kabul would not fall for weeks or even months, despite the militants’ advances elsewhere in the country. However, the Taliban’s takeover within hours was a stunning rout, highlighting the fragility of the Afghan government and security forces, which had been established by US and NATO efforts after spending billions over nearly two decades.

Pervez Musharraf (Pakistan)

General Pervez Musharraf, who served as the President of Pakistan from 2001 to 2008, is another notable leader who fled his country amid political turmoil.

Musharraf came to power in 1999 through a military coup, ousting then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, which allowed Musharraf to take over the country as president in 2001. 

However, Musharraf’s tenure was also marred by controversy, including accusations of human rights abuses, political repression, economic inequality, and a crackdown on the judiciary. In 2007, he declared a state of emergency, suspended the constitution, and dismissed the Chief Justice and the country’s Supreme Court, which was about to rule his election candidacy invalid.

To avoid impeachment proceedings, Musharraf resigned from the presidency in 2008 and went into self-imposed exile in London. He later moved to Dubai. Despite facing numerous legal challenges in Pakistan, including charges of treason and the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Musharraf returned to Pakistan in 2013 to participate in the general elections. However, his political comeback was short-lived, as he was disqualified from running for office and subsequently placed under house arrest.

Musharraf remained in and out of legal battles and health crises until his death in 2023 in Dubai.

Soeharto (Indonesia)

President Muhammed Soeharto, who ruled Indonesia from 1967 to 1998, is who was forced to depart amid political turmoil in the Southeast Asian country.

After coming to power through a coup, Soeharto’s rule was marked by economic growth but also massive corruption and human rights abuses.

According to Amnesty International, up to half a million people, mostly his political opponents, were arrested and only about 1,000 were ever brought to trial.

By the late 1990s, Indonesia’s economic crisis, exacerbated by the Asian financial downturn, led to widespread protests and unrest.

In May 1998, as the demonstrations intensified and the situation became increasingly untenable, Soeharto resigned from the presidency after 31 years in power.

Following his resignation, Suharto lived in seclusion in Jakarta, avoiding any significant legal repercussions despite widespread calls for his prosecution on charges of corruption and human rights violations. He, however, denied any wrongdoing until he died in 2008.

Sadiq al-Mahdi (Sudan)

Sadiq al-Mahdi, who served as Prime Minister of Sudan from 1966 to 1967 and again from 1986 to 1989, fled the country during a period of significant political and economic challenges.

His government struggled with internal conflicts, including disputes between various political factions and ongoing civil unrest.

In his second term, he formed a coalition government comprising his Umma Party and his brother-in-law’s National Islamic Front. However, this coalition proved to be unstable and in June 1989, al-Mahdi was overthrown in a military coup led by Brigadier Omar al-Bashir.

Following the coup, al-Mahdi lived in exile in several countries and headed the opposition from abroad, before returning to the country in 2018. He was later re-arrested but managed to flee again in 2019. He succumbed to a COVID-19 infection in 2020.

Aristide (Haiti)

Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Haiti’s first democratically elected president, faced exile during his tumultuous political career. Initially elected in 1991, Aristide was overthrown in a military coup later that year and fled to the United States. He returned in 1994 after a US-led intervention restored him to power.

Aristide’s second term, beginning in 2001, was marked by instability as the country faced political, social and economic crises_._  In February 2004, amid a violent rebellion, he fled Haiti again, first to the Central African Republic and then to South Africa. After seven years in exile, Aristide returned to Haiti in 2011.

With input from agencies