Gnassingbé Eyadéma (French pronunciation: ​[ɲasɛ̃ɡbe ɛjadema]; born Étienne Eyadéma, 26 December 1935 – 5 February 2005) was the president of Togo from 1967 until his death in 2005. He participated in two successful military coups, in January 1963 and January 1967, and became president on 14 April 1967. According to a 2018 study, "Gnassingbé Eyadema's rule rested on repression, patronage, and a bizarre leadership cult."