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Obama takes entrenched African leaders to task

As he wrapped up his trip to Africa, President Obama used his tenure to take on one of the continent’s most enduring obstacles to democratic progress: its history of one-man rule by presidents and potentates who enrich themselves and cling to power for years.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — President Obama jabbed at the power structures of Africa on Tuesday by calling for long-entrenched leaders to step down, using off-the-cuff remarks about his own political standing and his stature as the first U.S. president with African roots to try to reshape the continent’s politics.

“I actually think I’m a pretty good president,” Obama told diplomats from across Africa, departing from his prepared text to present himself as a model for giving up power when term limits are reached.