Person

Léon M'ba

1902–1967 · 20th century · Also known as Léon Mba

Léon M'ba was a Gabonese politician who led Gabon to independence from France on 17 August 1960 and became its first president. He kept close economic and military ties with France and built a one-party state. In 1964 a military coup briefly removed him, but French troops restored him to power. He died in office in 1967 and was succeeded by Omar Bongo.

Léon M'ba
Image: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0 nl · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Gabon (French colony)

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Léon M'ba. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/leon-mba
MLA
“Léon M'ba.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/leon-mba. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Léon M'ba.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/leon-mba.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Léon M'ba’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/leon-mba (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻