Omar Torrijos

Leader of Panama who signed treaties with the United States to recover sovereignty over the Panama Canal.

Life

National Guard

Torrijos was an officer in Panama's National Guard who became the de facto leader of Panama after taking part in a coup in 1968.

Canal treaties

With "recovering the canal" as his goal, he rallied broad international support, and in 1977 he signed the Torrijos–Carter Treaties with U.S. President Jimmy Carter, which provided that the United States would hand the canal and the Canal Zone back to Panama in full by the end of 1999.

Plane crash

He died in 1981 when his airplane crashed. On December 31, 1999, Panama formally took back the canal.

Legacy

Torrijos recovered sovereignty over the canal for Panama and is regarded as a national hero; his rule also had the character of a military strongman's.

Did you know? He said: "I don't want to enter history. I want to enter the Canal Zone."

Key dates

• 1968Took part in a coup and became de facto leader
• 1977Signs the Canal treaties
• 1981Killed in a plane crash
• 1999Panama takes back the Canal