New Delhi, Feb. 6 -- Republic of Congo's President Denis Sassou N'guesso announced Thursday that he will run in the March 15 presidential election, possibly extending his decades-long hold on power in the Central African country.

The 82-year-old Sassou N'guesso made the announcement during a visit to an agricultural fair in Bambou Mingali, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of the capital Brazzaville.

The president first came to power in the oil-producing country in 1979, and served until the 1992 election when he finished third. He then took hold of the country again as a militia leader after a four-month civil war in 1997, and has been at the helm ever since, winning four elections against a fragmented opposition.

Only the presiden...