1970: The death of Nasser, the man of Suez who wanted a free Africa

On September 28, 1970, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser died of a heart attack in Cairo at the age of 52. A few hours earlier, he had just concluded an emergency Arab League summit dedicated to the 'Black September' clashes between the Jordanian army and Palestinian fighters. According to VOA Afrique, the day before, he had brokered an agreement between King Hussein and Yasser Arafat.

The news caused an immense shock. A diabetic and heavy smoker, Nasser had already suffered heart scares, but his state of health remained unknown to the public. It was his vice-president, Anwar el-Sadat, who announced the death on the radio before succeeding him.

From officer to Raïs

Born on January 15, 1918, in Alexandria, Nasser belonged to the Free Officers movement that overthrew the monarchy of King Farouk on the night of July 22-23, 1952. He became president in June 1956. On July 26 of the same year, he announced the nationalization of the Suez Canal Company, which had until then been controlled by British and French interests, following the withdrawal of promised Western funding for the Aswan High Dam.

The response was military: the United Kingdom, France, and Israel attacked Egypt in the autumn of 1956. Under international pressure, the three countries were forced to withdraw. For millions of Africans and Asians still under colonial rule, the lesson was clear: a country in the Global South could regain control of its resources in the face of former powers.

Cairo, capital of liberation struggles

In his book 'The Philosophy of the Revolution,' Nasser described Egypt as being at the center of three circles: Arab, African, and Islamic. He made Cairo a refuge and a diplomatic base for numerous anti-colonial movements, from the Algerian FLN to movements in Southern Africa. A figure of the Non-Aligned Movement, he was also, according to the African Union, one of the leaders who, along with Kwame Nkrumah and Emperor Haile Selassie, gathered in Addis Ababa in May 1963 with the states that founded the Organization of African Unity (OAU) on May 25.

A contrasting legacy

The record is not without shadows. The defeat against Israel during the Six-Day War in June 1967 prompted him to announce his resignation, before massive popular demonstrations brought him back to power. His regime relied on a single-party system, censorship, and the imprisonment of opponents, notably Islamists and communists, a repression that historians have documented extensively.

His funeral on October 1, 1970, however, spoke to the attachment he inspired. According to estimates cited by the encyclopedia Wikipedia, five to six million people followed the procession through the streets of Cairo, in the presence of delegations from more than 40 countries, including many African leaders.

Key takeaways

By nationalizing Suez and opening Cairo to freedom fighters, Nasser showed that African sovereignty over its own resources was possible. His authoritarianism also serves as a reminder that independence is not enough without the freedoms of the citizens.