Jean-Bédel Bokassa: Difference between revisions

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{{Important}}{{Mature}}{{Villain_Infobox

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|image = Emperor Bokassa.jpg

|image = ~~[[File:Bokassa_colored~~.~~png|thumb|Jean-Bédel Bokassa during his 1970 [[wikipedia:State visit|state visit]] to Romania]]~~

|fullname = Jean-Bédel Bokassa

|alias = Bokassa I Salah Eddine Ahmed Bokassa The Butcher of Bangui The Cannibal Dictator

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Bokassa's extended family decided that it would be best if he received a French-language education at the ''Ecole Sainte-Jeanne d'Arc'', a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_%28Christian%29 Christian mission] school in Mbaïki. As a child, he was frequently taunted by his classmates about his orphanhood. He was short in stature and physically strong. In his studies, he became especially fond of a French grammar book by an author named Jean Bedel. His teachers noticed his attachment, and started calling him "Jean-Bedel". During his teenage years, Bokassa studied at ''Ecole Saint-Louis'' in Bangui, under Father Grüner. Grüner educated Bokassa with the intention of making him a priest, but realized that his student did not have the aptitude for study or the piety required for this occupation. He then studied at Father Compte's school in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazzaville Brazzaville], where he developed his abilities as a cook. After graduating in 1939, Bokassa took the advice offered to him by his grandfather, M'Balanga, and Father Grüner, by joining the French [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_troops colonial troops] as a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tirailleur tirailleur] (rifleman) on 19 May 1939.

==Military career==

While serving in the Second ''bataillon de marche'', Bokassa became a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporal corporal] in July 1940 and a sergeant major in November 1941. After the occupation of France by [[Nazi Germany]], Bokassa served with an African unit of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_French_Forces Free French Forces] and took part in the capture of [[Vichy France]]'s capital at Brazzaville. On 15 August 1944, he participated in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_II Allied Forces]’ landing in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provence Provence], France, in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Dragoon Operation Dragoon] and fought in southern France and in Germany in early 1945 before ~~[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_Germany~~ Nazi Germany] was toppled. He remained in the French Army after the war, studying [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_%28telecommunications%29 radio transmissions] at an army camp in the French coastal town of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9jus Fréjus]. Afterwards, he attended [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Officer_training officer training] school in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Louis,_Senegal Saint-Louis, Senegal]. On 7 September 1950, Bokassa headed to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indochina Indochina] as the transmissions expert for the battalion of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholon,_Ho_Chi_Minh_City Saigon-Cholon]. Bokassa saw some combat during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Indochina_War First Indochina War] before his [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_of_duty tour of duty] ended in March 1953. For his exploits in battle, he was honored with membership of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9gion_d%27honneur Légion d'honneur], and was decorated with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croix_de_guerre_des_th%C3%A9%C3%A2tres_d%27op%C3%A9rations_ext%C3%A9rieures Croix de guerre]. During his stay in Indochina, he married a 17-year-old Vietnamese girl named Nguyen Thi Hué. After Hué bore him a daughter, Bokassa had the child registered as a French [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationality national]. Bokassa left Indochina without his wife and child, as he believed he would return for another tour of duty in the near future. Upon his return to France, Bokassa was stationed at Fréjus, where he taught radio transmissions to African recruits. In 1956, he was promoted to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Lieutenant Second Lieutenant] and two years later to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant Lieutenant]. Bokassa was then stationed as a military technical assistant in December 1958 in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazzaville Brazzaville], and in 1959 after a twenty year absence he was posted back to his homeland in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangui Bangui]. He was promoted to the rank of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_%28OF-2%29 Captain] on 1 July 1961.

While serving in the Second ''bataillon de marche'', Bokassa became a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporal corporal] in July 1940 and a sergeant major in November 1941. After the occupation of France by [[Nazi Germany]], Bokassa served with an African unit of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_French_Forces Free French Forces] and took part in the capture of [[Vichy France]]'s capital at Brazzaville. On 15 August 1944, he participated in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_II Allied Forces]’ landing in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provence Provence], France, in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Dragoon Operation Dragoon] and fought in southern France and in Germany in early 1945 before Nazi Germany was toppled. He remained in the French Army after the war, studying [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_%28telecommunications%29 radio transmissions] at an army camp in the French coastal town of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9jus Fréjus]. Afterwards, he attended [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Officer_training officer training] school in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Louis,_Senegal Saint-Louis, Senegal]. On 7 September 1950, Bokassa headed to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indochina Indochina] as the transmissions expert for the battalion of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholon,_Ho_Chi_Minh_City Saigon-Cholon]. Bokassa saw some combat during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Indochina_War First Indochina War] before his [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_of_duty tour of duty] ended in March 1953. For his exploits in battle, he was honored with membership of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9gion_d%27honneur Légion d'honneur], and was decorated with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croix_de_guerre_des_th%C3%A9%C3%A2tres_d%27op%C3%A9rations_ext%C3%A9rieures Croix de guerre]. During his stay in Indochina, he married a 17-year-old Vietnamese girl named Nguyen Thi Hué. After Hué bore him a daughter, Bokassa had the child registered as a French [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationality national]. Bokassa left Indochina without his wife and child, as he believed he would return for another tour of duty in the near future. Upon his return to France, Bokassa was stationed at Fréjus, where he taught radio transmissions to African recruits. In 1956, he was promoted to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Lieutenant Second Lieutenant] and two years later to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant Lieutenant]. Bokassa was then stationed as a military technical assistant in December 1958 in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazzaville Brazzaville], and in 1959 after a twenty year absence he was posted back to his homeland in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangui Bangui]. He was promoted to the rank of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_%28OF-2%29 Captain] on 1 July 1961.

The French colony of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oubangui-Chari Ubangi-Chari] (Oubangui-Chari in French), part of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Equatorial_Africa French Equatorial Africa], had become a semi-autonomous territory of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Community French Community] in 1958 and then an independent nation as the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_African_Republic Central African Republic] on 13 August 1960.

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Bokassa sought recognition for his status as leader of the army. He frequently appeared in public wearing all his military decorations, and in ceremonies, he often sat next to President Dacko to display his importance in the government. Bokassa frequently got into heated arguments with Jean-Paul Douate, the government's chief of protocol, who admonished him for not following the correct order of seating at presidential tables. At first, Dacko found his cousin's antics amusing. Despite the number of recent military coups in Africa, Dacko publicly dismissed the likelihood that Bokassa would try to take control of the country. At an official dinner, he said, "Colonel Bokassa only wants to collect medals and he is too stupid to pull off a coup d'état". Other members of Dacko's cabinet believed that Bokassa was a genuine threat to the regime. Jean-Arthur Bandio, the minister of interior, suggested Dacko name Bokassa to the Cabinet, which he hoped would both break the colonel's close connections with the CAR army and satisfy the colonel's desire for recognition. To combat the chance that Bokassa would stage a coup, Dacko created the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gendarmerie gendarmerie], an armed police force of 500 and a 120-member presidential security guard, led by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Izamo Jean Izamo] and Prosper Mounoumbaye, respectively.

==Tensions rise between Dacko and Bokassa==

Dacko's government faced a number of problems during 1964 and 1965: the economy experienced [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_stagnation stagnation], the bureaucracy started to fall apart, and the country's boundaries were constantly breached by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrice_Lumumba Lumumbists] from the south and the rebel [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudan_People%27s_Liberation_Army Sudan People's Liberation Army] from the east. Under pressure from political radicals in the ''Mouvement pour l'évolution sociale de l'Afrique noire'' (Movement for the Social Evolution of Black Africa or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MESAN MESAN]) and in an attempt to cultivate alternative sources of support and display his ability to make foreign policy without the help of the French government, Dacko established diplomatic relations with [[Mao Zedong]]'s [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_China People's Republic of China] (PRC) in September 1964. A delegation led by Meng Yieng and agents of the Chinese government toured the country, showing [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_in_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China communist propaganda films]. Soon after, the PRC gave the CAR an interest-free loan of one billion [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFA_franc CFA francs] (20 million [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_franc French francs]); however, the aid failed to subdue the prospect of a financial collapse for the country. Widespread ~~[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_corruption~~ corruption] by government officials and politicians added to the country's list of problems. Bokassa felt that he needed to take over the CAR government to solve all the country's problems—most importantly, to rid the country from the influence of communism. According to Samuel Decalo, a scholar on African government, Bokassa's personal ambitions played the most important role in his decision to launch a coup against Dacko.

Dacko's government faced a number of problems during 1964 and 1965: the economy experienced [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_stagnation stagnation], the bureaucracy started to fall apart, and the country's boundaries were constantly breached by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrice_Lumumba Lumumbists] from the south and the rebel [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudan_People%27s_Liberation_Army Sudan People's Liberation Army] from the east. Under pressure from political radicals in the ''Mouvement pour l'évolution sociale de l'Afrique noire'' (Movement for the Social Evolution of Black Africa or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MESAN MESAN]) and in an attempt to cultivate alternative sources of support and display his ability to make foreign policy without the help of the French government, Dacko established diplomatic relations with [[Mao Zedong]]'s [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_China People's Republic of China] (PRC) in September 1964. A delegation led by Meng Yieng and agents of the Chinese government toured the country, showing [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_in_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China communist propaganda films]. Soon after, the PRC gave the CAR an interest-free loan of one billion [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFA_franc CFA francs] (20 million [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_franc French francs]); however, the aid failed to subdue the prospect of a financial collapse for the country. Widespread corruption by government officials and politicians added to the country's list of problems. Bokassa felt that he needed to take over the CAR government to solve all the country's problems—most importantly, to rid the country from the influence of communism. According to Samuel Decalo, a scholar on African government, Bokassa's personal ambitions played the most important role in his decision to launch a coup against Dacko.

Dacko sent Bokassa to Paris as part of the country's delegation for the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastille_Day Bastille Day] celebrations in July 1965. After attending the celebrations and a 23 July ceremony to mark the closing of a military officer training school he had attended decades earlier, Bokassa decided to return to the CAR. However, Dacko forbade his return, and the infuriated Bokassa spent the next few months trying to obtain supporters from the French and Central African armed forces, who he hoped would force Dacko to reconsider his decision. Dacko eventually yielded to pressure and allowed Bokassa back in October 1965. Bokassa claimed that Dacko finally gave up after French [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidents_of_the_French_Republic President] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_de_Gaulle Charles de Gaulle] had personally told Dacko that "Bokassa must be immediately returned to his post. I cannot tolerate the mistreatment of my companion-in-arms".

Tensions between Dacko and Bokassa continued to escalate in the coming months. In December, Dacko approved an increase in the budget for Izamo's gendarmerie, but rejected the budget proposal Bokassa had made for the army. At this point, Bokassa told friends he was annoyed by Dacko's mistreatment and was "going for a coup d'état". Dacko planned to replace Bokassa with Izamo as his personal [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_adviser military adviser], and wanted to promote army officers loyal to the government, while demoting Bokassa and his close associates. Dacko did not conceal his plans; he hinted at his intentions to elders of the ~~[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/~~Bobangui ~~Bobangui]~~ village, who in turn informed Bokassa of the plot. Bokassa realized he had to act against Dacko quickly, and worried that his 500-man army would be no match for the gendarmerie and the presidential guard. He was also overwrought over the possibility that the French would come to Dacko's aid after the coup d'état, as had occurred after one in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabon Gabon] against President [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9on_M%27ba Léon M'ba] in February 1964. After receiving word of the coup from the country's vice president, officials in Paris sent [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paratrooper paratroopers] to Gabon in a matter of hours and M'Ba was quickly restored to power.

Tensions between Dacko and Bokassa continued to escalate in the coming months. In December, Dacko approved an increase in the budget for Izamo's gendarmerie, but rejected the budget proposal Bokassa had made for the army. At this point, Bokassa told friends he was annoyed by Dacko's mistreatment and was "going for a coup d'état". Dacko planned to replace Bokassa with Izamo as his personal [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_adviser military adviser], and wanted to promote army officers loyal to the government, while demoting Bokassa and his close associates. Dacko did not conceal his plans; he hinted at his intentions to elders of the Bobangui village, who in turn informed Bokassa of the plot. Bokassa realized he had to act against Dacko quickly, and worried that his 500-man army would be no match for the gendarmerie and the presidential guard. He was also overwrought over the possibility that the French would come to Dacko's aid after the coup d'état, as had occurred after one in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabon Gabon] against President [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9on_M%27ba Léon M'ba] in February 1964. After receiving word of the coup from the country's vice president, officials in Paris sent [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paratrooper paratroopers] to Gabon in a matter of hours and M'Ba was quickly restored to power.

Bokassa received substantive support from his co-conspirator, Captain [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandre_Banza Alexandre Banza], who commanded the Camp Kassaï military base in northeast Bangui, and, like Bokassa, had been stationed with the French army around the world. Banza was an intelligent, ambitious and capable man who played a major role in the planning of the coup. By December, many people began to anticipate the political turmoil that would soon engulf the country. Dacko's personal advisers alerted him that Bokassa "showed signs of mental instability" and needed to be arrested before he sought to bring down the government but Dacko did not heed these warnings.

==Coup d'état==

Dacko left the Palais de la Renaissance early in the evening of 31 December 1965 to visit one of his ministers' plantations southwest of Bangui. An hour and a half before midnight, Captain Banza gave orders to his officers to begin the coup. Bokassa called Izamo at his headquarters and asked him to come to Camp de Roux to sign some documents that needed his immediate attention. Izamo, who was at a New Year's Eve celebration with friends, reluctantly agreed and travelled to the camp. Upon arrival, he was confronted by Banza and Bokassa, who informed him of the coup in progress. After declaring his opposition to the coup, Izamo was taken by the coup plotters to an underground [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basement cellar].[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-B%C3%A9del_Bokassa#cite_note-Titleyp27-22 [22]]

<nowiki>[[File:Bokassa_colored.png|thumb|Jean-Bédel Bokassa during his 1970 [[wikipedia:State visit|state visit]] to Romania]]</nowiki>

Around midnight, Bokassa, Banza and their supporters left Camp de Roux to take over the capital. After seizing the capital in a matter of hours, Bokassa and Banza rushed to the Palais de la Renaissance in order to arrest Dacko. However, Dacko was nowhere to be found. Bokassa panicked, believing the president had been warned of the coup in advance, and immediately ordered his soldiers to search for Dacko in the countryside until he was found.Dacko was arrested by soldiers patrolling Pétévo Junction, on the western border of the capital. He was taken back to the presidential palace, where Bokassa hugged the president and told him, "I tried to warn you—but now it's too late". President Dacko was taken to Ngaragba Prison in east Bangui at around 02:00 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_African_Time WAT] (01:00 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTC UTC]). In a move that he thought would boost his popularity in the country, Bokassa ordered prison director Otto Sacher to release all prisoners in the jail. Bokassa then took Dacko to Camp Kassaï, where he forced the president to resign. Later, Bokassa's officers announced on Radio-Bangui that the Dacko government had been toppled and Bokassa had taken over control. In the morning, Bokassa addressed the public via Radio-Bangui: ''Centrafricains! Centrafricains! C'est le colonel Bokassa vous parle. Depuis 3h00 ce matin, votre armée a pris le contrôle du gouvernement. Le gouvernement Dacko a démissionné. L'heure de la justice est à portée de main. La bourgeoisie est abolie. Une nouvelle ère de l'égalité entre tous a commencé. Centrafricains, où que vous soyez, soyez assuré que l'armée va vous défendre et de vos biens... Vive la République centrafricaine!''Translation:

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After a meeting with Gaddafi in September 1976, Bokassa converted to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam Islam] and changed his name to Salah Eddine Ahmed Bokassa, but in December 1976 he converted back to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholicism Catholicism]. It is presumed that his conversion to Islam was a ploy calculated to ensure ongoing Libyan financial aid. When no funds promised by Gaddafi were forthcoming, Bokassa abandoned his new faith—which was also incompatible with his plans to be crowned emperor in the Catholic cathedral in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangui Bangui].

===Proclamation of the Empire===

In September 1976, Bokassa dissolved the government and replaced it with the ''Conseil de la Révolution Centrafricaine'' (Central African Revolutionary Council). On 4 December 1976, at the MESAN congress, Bokassa instituted a new constitution and declared the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic republic] a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchy monarchy], the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_African_Empire Central African Empire]. The following year, he issued an imperial [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution constitution], announced his conversion back to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Church Catholicism] and had himself crowned "S.M.I. Bokassa 1er ", with S.M.I. standing for ''Sa Majesté Impériale'': "His Imperial Majesty", in a formal coronation ceremony on 4 December 1977. Bokassa's full title was ''Empereur de Centrafrique par la volonté du peuple Centrafricain, uni au sein du parti politique national, le ~~[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/~~MESAN ~~MESAN]~~'' ("Emperor of Central Africa by the will of the Central African people, united within the national political party, the MESAN"). His [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regalia regalia], lavish [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation coronation] ceremony and regime of the newly formed Central African Empire were largely inspired by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_I_of_France Napoleon I], who had converted the French Revolutionary Republic of which he was First Consul into the First French Empire. The coronation ceremony was estimated to cost his country roughly 20 million US dollars. Bokassa attempted to justify his actions by claiming that creating a monarchy would help Central Africa "stand out" from the rest of the continent, and earn the world's respect. The 1977 coronation ceremony consumed one third of the CAE's (Central African Empire) annual budget and all of France's aid money for that year, but despite generous invitations, no foreign leaders attended the event. By this time, many people in the CAE and in the rest of the world thought Bokassa was insane, and the Western press, mostly in France, the UK, and USA, often compared his eccentric behavior and egotistical extravagance with that of Africa's other well-known eccentric dictator, [[Idi Amin]] of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda Uganda]. Tenacious rumors that he occasionally [[Cannibalism|consumed human flesh]] were found unproven during his eventual trial.

In September 1976, Bokassa dissolved the government and replaced it with the ''Conseil de la Révolution Centrafricaine'' (Central African Revolutionary Council). On 4 December 1976, at the MESAN congress, Bokassa instituted a new constitution and declared the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic republic] a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchy monarchy], the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_African_Empire Central African Empire]. The following year, he issued an imperial [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution constitution], announced his conversion back to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Church Catholicism] and had himself crowned "S.M.I. Bokassa 1er ", with S.M.I. standing for ''Sa Majesté Impériale'': "His Imperial Majesty", in a formal coronation ceremony on 4 December 1977. Bokassa's full title was ''Empereur de Centrafrique par la volonté du peuple Centrafricain, uni au sein du parti politique national, le MESAN'' ("Emperor of Central Africa by the will of the Central African people, united within the national political party, the MESAN"). His [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regalia regalia], lavish [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation coronation] ceremony and regime of the newly formed Central African Empire were largely inspired by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_I_of_France Napoleon I], who had converted the French Revolutionary Republic of which he was First Consul into the First French Empire. The coronation ceremony was estimated to cost his country roughly 20 million US dollars. Bokassa attempted to justify his actions by claiming that creating a monarchy would help Central Africa "stand out" from the rest of the continent, and earn the world's respect. The 1977 coronation ceremony consumed one third of the CAE's (Central African Empire) annual budget and all of France's aid money for that year, but despite generous invitations, no foreign leaders attended the event. By this time, many people in the CAE and in the rest of the world thought Bokassa was insane, and the Western press, mostly in France, the UK, and USA, often compared his eccentric behavior and egotistical extravagance with that of Africa's other well-known eccentric dictator, [[Idi Amin]] of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda Uganda]. Tenacious rumors that he occasionally [[Cannibalism|consumed human flesh]] were found unproven during his eventual trial.

Although Bokassa claimed that the new empire would be a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_monarchy constitutional monarchy], no significant democratic reforms were made, and suppression of dissenters remained widespread. [[Torture]] was said to be especially rampant, with allegations that even Bokassa himself occasionally participated in beatings and executions.

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The massive worldwide press coverage which followed the deaths of the students opened the way for a successful coup which saw French troops (in "Opération Barracuda") invade the Central African Empire and restored former president David Dacko to power while Bokassa fled into [[exile]] by airplane to the Ivory Coast ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire Côte d'Ivoire]) on 20 September 1979.

===Operation Barracuda===

Bokassa's overthrow by the French government was called "France's last colonial expedition" (''"la dernière expédition coloniale française"'') by veteran French diplomat [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Foccart Jacques Foccart]. ''Operation Barracuda'' began on the evening of 20 September and ended early the next morning. An undercover commando squad from the French intelligence agency [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SDECE SDECE] (now [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DGSE DGSE]), joined by Special Forces' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Marine_Infantry_Parachute_Regiment 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment], or ''1er RPIMa'', led by Colonel Brancion-Rouge, landed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transall Transall] and managed to secure the Bangui M'Poko airport with little resistance. Upon arrival of two more French military transport aircraft, containing over 300 French troops, a message was sent by Colonel Brancion-Rouge to Colonel Degenne to come in with his ''Barracudas'' (codename for eight [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%A9rospatiale_Puma Puma helicopters] and Transall aircraft), which took off from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%27Djamena N'Djamena] military airport in neighbouring ~~[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/~~Chad ~~Chad]~~.

Bokassa's overthrow by the French government was called "France's last colonial expedition" (''"la dernière expédition coloniale française"'') by veteran French diplomat [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Foccart Jacques Foccart]. ''Operation Barracuda'' began on the evening of 20 September and ended early the next morning. An undercover commando squad from the French intelligence agency [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SDECE SDECE] (now [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DGSE DGSE]), joined by Special Forces' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Marine_Infantry_Parachute_Regiment 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment], or ''1er RPIMa'', led by Colonel Brancion-Rouge, landed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transall Transall] and managed to secure the Bangui M'Poko airport with little resistance. Upon arrival of two more French military transport aircraft, containing over 300 French troops, a message was sent by Colonel Brancion-Rouge to Colonel Degenne to come in with his ''Barracudas'' (codename for eight [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%A9rospatiale_Puma Puma helicopters] and Transall aircraft), which took off from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%27Djamena N'Djamena] military airport in neighbouring Chad.

===Fall of the empire===

By 12:30 p.m. on 21 September, the pro-French Dacko proclaimed the fall of the Central African Empire and the restoration of the Central African Republic under his presidency. David Dacko remained president until he was overthrown on 1 September 1981 by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Kolingba André Kolingba]. Bokassa, who was visiting Libya on a state visit at the time, fled to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire Côte d'Ivoire] (Ivory Coast) where he spent four years living in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abidjan Abidjan]. He then moved to France where he was allowed to settle in his Chateau d'[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardricourt Hardricourt] in the suburb of Paris. France gave him political asylum because of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Foreign_Legion French Foreign Legion] obligations.

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During Bokassa's seven-year of exile, he wrote his memoirs after complaining that his French military pension was insufficient. But the French courts ordered that all 8,000 copies of the book be confiscated and destroyed after his publisher claimed that Bokassa said that he shared women with President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, who has been a frequent guest in the Central African Republic. Bokassa also claimed to have given Giscard a gift of diamonds worth around a quarter of a million dollars in 1973 while the French president was serving as finance minister. Giscard's next presidential reelection campaign failed in the wake of the scandal. Bokassa's presence in France proved embarrassing to many government ministers who supported him during his entire rule.

==Trial and death==

Bokassa had been sentenced to death ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_absentia in absentia]'' in December 1980 for the murder of numerous political rivals. However, he returned from exile in France on 24 October 1986. Bokassa was immediately arrested by the Central African authorities as soon as he stepped off the plane and was tried for 14 different charges, including [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treason treason], murder, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibalism cannibalism], illegal use of property, assault and battery, and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embezzlement embezzlement]. Now that Bokassa was unexpectedly in the hands of the Central African Republic government, they were required by law to try him in person, granting him the benefit of defence counsel.

Bokassa had been sentenced to death ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_absentia in absentia]'' in December 1980 for the murder of numerous political rivals. However, he returned from exile in France on 24 October 1986. Bokassa was immediately arrested by the Central African authorities in the Ngaragba prison as soon as he stepped off the plane and was tried for 14 different charges, including [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treason treason], murder, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibalism cannibalism], illegal use of property, assault and battery, and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embezzlement embezzlement]. Now that Bokassa was unexpectedly in the hands of the Central African Republic government, they were required by law to try him in person, granting him the benefit of defence counsel.

The trial began on 15 December 1986, taking place in the hot and humid, non-air conditioned chambers of the ''Palais de Justice'' in Bangui. Bokassa hired two French lawyers, François Gilbault and Francis Szpiner, which faced a panel composed of six jurors and three judges, presided over by High Court Judge Edouard Franck, which was modelled after the legal system in France itself. A fair jury trial of a former head of state was unprecedented in the history of post-colonial Africa where previous dictators had been tried and executed after show trials. New, too, was public access to the trial which the courtroom was constantly filled with standing-room-only spectators as well as live French-language broadcasts by Radio Bangui and local TV news crews which was broadcast all over the country, as well as neighbouring French-speaking African countries. The trial was listened to and watched by all those in the Central African Republic and in neighbouring countries by those who had access to any type of radio or TV set.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Important}}
+{{Important}}{{Mature}}{{Villain_Infobox
-{{Villain_Infobox
+|image = Emperor Bokassa.jpg
-|image = [[File:Bokassa_colored.png|thumb|Jean-Bédel Bokassa during his 1970 [[wikipedia:State visit|state visit]] to Romania]]
 |fullname = Jean-Bédel Bokassa
 |alias = Bokassa I<br>Salah Eddine Ahmed Bokassa<br>The Butcher of Bangui<br>The Cannibal Dictator
@@ Line 22: / Line 21: @@
 Bokassa's extended family decided that it would be best if he received a French-language education at the ''Ecole Sainte-Jeanne d'Arc'', a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_%28Christian%29 Christian mission] school in Mbaïki. As a child, he was frequently taunted by his classmates about his orphanhood. He was short in stature and physically strong. In his studies, he became especially fond of a French grammar book by an author named Jean Bedel. His teachers noticed his attachment, and started calling him "Jean-Bedel". During his teenage years, Bokassa studied at ''Ecole Saint-Louis'' in Bangui, under Father Grüner. Grüner educated Bokassa with the intention of making him a priest, but realized that his student did not have the aptitude for study or the piety required for this occupation. He then studied at Father Compte's school in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazzaville Brazzaville], where he developed his abilities as a cook. After graduating in 1939, Bokassa took the advice offered to him by his grandfather, M'Balanga, and Father Grüner, by joining the French [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_troops colonial troops] as a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tirailleur tirailleur] (rifleman) on 19 May 1939.
 ==Military career==
-While serving in the Second ''bataillon de marche'', Bokassa became a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporal corporal] in July 1940 and a sergeant major in November 1941.<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>After the occupation of France by [[Nazi Germany]], Bokassa served with an African unit of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_French_Forces Free French Forces] and took part in the capture of [[Vichy France]]'s capital at Brazzaville. On 15 August 1944, he participated in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_II Allied Forces]’ landing in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provence Provence], France, in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Dragoon Operation Dragoon] and fought in southern France and in Germany in early 1945 before [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_Germany Nazi Germany] was toppled. He remained in the French Army after the war, studying [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_%28telecommunications%29 radio transmissions] at an army camp in the French coastal town of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9jus Fréjus].<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>Afterwards, he attended [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Officer_training officer training] school in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Louis,_Senegal Saint-Louis, Senegal]. On 7 September 1950, Bokassa headed to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indochina Indochina] as the transmissions expert for the battalion of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholon,_Ho_Chi_Minh_City Saigon-Cholon]. Bokassa saw some combat during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Indochina_War First Indochina War] before his [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_of_duty tour of duty] ended in March 1953. For his exploits in battle, he was honored with membership of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9gion_d%27honneur Légion d'honneur], and was decorated with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croix_de_guerre_des_th%C3%A9%C3%A2tres_d%27op%C3%A9rations_ext%C3%A9rieures Croix de guerre]. During his stay in Indochina, he married a 17-year-old Vietnamese girl named Nguyen Thi Hué. After Hué bore him a daughter, Bokassa had the child registered as a French [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationality national]. Bokassa left Indochina without his wife and child, as he believed he would return for another tour of duty in the near future.<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>Upon his return to France, Bokassa was stationed at Fréjus, where he taught radio transmissions to African recruits. In 1956, he was promoted to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Lieutenant Second Lieutenant] and two years later to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant Lieutenant].<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>Bokassa was then stationed as a military technical assistant in December 1958 in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazzaville Brazzaville], and in 1959 after a twenty year absence he was posted back to his homeland in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangui Bangui]. He was promoted to the rank of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_%28OF-2%29 Captain] on 1 July 1961.
+While serving in the Second ''bataillon de marche'', Bokassa became a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporal corporal] in July 1940 and a sergeant major in November 1941.<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>After the occupation of France by [[Nazi Germany]], Bokassa served with an African unit of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_French_Forces Free French Forces] and took part in the capture of [[Vichy France]]'s capital at Brazzaville. On 15 August 1944, he participated in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_II Allied Forces]’ landing in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provence Provence], France, in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Dragoon Operation Dragoon] and fought in southern France and in Germany in early 1945 before Nazi Germany was toppled. He remained in the French Army after the war, studying [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_%28telecommunications%29 radio transmissions] at an army camp in the French coastal town of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9jus Fréjus].<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>Afterwards, he attended [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Officer_training officer training] school in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Louis,_Senegal Saint-Louis, Senegal]. On 7 September 1950, Bokassa headed to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indochina Indochina] as the transmissions expert for the battalion of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholon,_Ho_Chi_Minh_City Saigon-Cholon]. Bokassa saw some combat during the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Indochina_War First Indochina War] before his [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_of_duty tour of duty] ended in March 1953. For his exploits in battle, he was honored with membership of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9gion_d%27honneur Légion d'honneur], and was decorated with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croix_de_guerre_des_th%C3%A9%C3%A2tres_d%27op%C3%A9rations_ext%C3%A9rieures Croix de guerre]. During his stay in Indochina, he married a 17-year-old Vietnamese girl named Nguyen Thi Hué. After Hué bore him a daughter, Bokassa had the child registered as a French [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationality national]. Bokassa left Indochina without his wife and child, as he believed he would return for another tour of duty in the near future.<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>Upon his return to France, Bokassa was stationed at Fréjus, where he taught radio transmissions to African recruits. In 1956, he was promoted to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Lieutenant Second Lieutenant] and two years later to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lieutenant Lieutenant].<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>Bokassa was then stationed as a military technical assistant in December 1958 in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazzaville Brazzaville], and in 1959 after a twenty year absence he was posted back to his homeland in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangui Bangui]. He was promoted to the rank of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_%28OF-2%29 Captain] on 1 July 1961.
 The French colony of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oubangui-Chari Ubangi-Chari] (Oubangui-Chari in French), part of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Equatorial_Africa French Equatorial Africa], had become a semi-autonomous territory of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Community French Community] in 1958 and then an independent nation as the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_African_Republic Central African Republic] on 13 August 1960.
@@ Line 30: / Line 29: @@
 Bokassa sought recognition for his status as leader of the army. He frequently appeared in public wearing all his military decorations, and in ceremonies, he often sat next to President Dacko to display his importance in the government. Bokassa frequently got into heated arguments with Jean-Paul Douate, the government's chief of protocol, who admonished him for not following the correct order of seating at presidential tables. At first, Dacko found his cousin's antics amusing.<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>Despite the number of recent military coups in Africa, Dacko publicly dismissed the likelihood that Bokassa would try to take control of the country. At an official dinner, he said, "Colonel Bokassa only wants to collect medals and he is too stupid to pull off a coup d'état".<span style="font-size:11px;line-height:0px;"> </span>Other members of Dacko's cabinet believed that Bokassa was a genuine threat to the regime. Jean-Arthur Bandio, the minister of interior, suggested Dacko name Bokassa to the Cabinet, which he hoped would both break the colonel's close connections with the CAR army and satisfy the colonel's desire for recognition. To combat the chance that Bokassa would stage a coup, Dacko created the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gendarmerie gendarmerie], an armed police force of 500 and a 120-member presidential security guard, led by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Izamo Jean Izamo] and Prosper Mounoumbaye, respectively.
 ==Tensions rise between Dacko and Bokassa==
-Dacko's government faced a number of problems during 1964 and 1965: the economy experienced [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_stagnation stagnation], the bureaucracy started to fall apart, and the country's boundaries were constantly breached by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrice_Lumumba Lumumbists] from the south and the rebel [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudan_People%27s_Liberation_Army Sudan People's Liberation Army] from the east. Under pressure from political radicals in the ''Mouvement pour l'évolution sociale de l'Afrique noire'' (Movement for the Social Evolution of Black Africa or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MESAN MESAN]) and in an attempt to cultivate alternative sources of support and display his ability to make foreign policy without the help of the French government, Dacko established diplomatic relations with [[Mao Zedong]]'s [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_China People's Republic of China] (PRC) in September 1964. A delegation led by Meng Yieng and agents of the Chinese government toured the country, showing [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_in_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China communist propaganda films]. Soon after, the PRC gave the CAR an interest-free loan of one billion [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFA_franc CFA francs] (20 million [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_franc French francs]); however, the aid failed to subdue the prospect of a financial collapse for the country. Widespread [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_corruption corruption] by government officials and politicians added to the country's list of problems. Bokassa felt that he needed to take over the CAR government to solve all the country's problems—most importantly, to rid the country from the influence of communism. According to Samuel Decalo, a scholar on African government, Bokassa's personal ambitions played the most important role in his decision to launch a coup against Dacko.
+Dacko's government faced a number of problems during 1964 and 1965: the economy experienced [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_stagnation stagnation], the bureaucracy started to fall apart, and the country's boundaries were constantly breached by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrice_Lumumba Lumumbists] from the south and the rebel [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudan_People%27s_Liberation_Army Sudan People's Liberation Army] from the east. Under pressure from political radicals in the ''Mouvement pour l'évolution sociale de l'Afrique noire'' (Movement for the Social Evolution of Black Africa or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MESAN MESAN]) and in an attempt to cultivate alternative sources of support and display his ability to make foreign policy without the help of the French government, Dacko established diplomatic relations with [[Mao Zedong]]'s [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Republic_of_China People's Republic of China] (PRC) in September 1964. A delegation led by Meng Yieng and agents of the Chinese government toured the country, showing [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_in_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China communist propaganda films]. Soon after, the PRC gave the CAR an interest-free loan of one billion [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFA_franc CFA francs] (20 million [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_franc French francs]); however, the aid failed to subdue the prospect of a financial collapse for the country. Widespread corruption by government officials and politicians added to the country's list of problems. Bokassa felt that he needed to take over the CAR government to solve all the country's problems—most importantly, to rid the country from the influence of communism. According to Samuel Decalo, a scholar on African government, Bokassa's personal ambitions played the most important role in his decision to launch a coup against Dacko.
 Dacko sent Bokassa to Paris as part of the country's delegation for the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastille_Day Bastille Day] celebrations in July 1965. After attending the celebrations and a 23 July ceremony to mark the closing of a military officer training school he had attended decades earlier, Bokassa decided to return to the CAR. However, Dacko forbade his return, and the infuriated Bokassa spent the next few months trying to obtain supporters from the French and Central African armed forces, who he hoped would force Dacko to reconsider his decision. Dacko eventually yielded to pressure and allowed Bokassa back in October 1965. Bokassa claimed that Dacko finally gave up after French [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Presidents_of_the_French_Republic President] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_de_Gaulle Charles de Gaulle] had personally told Dacko that "Bokassa must be immediately returned to his post. I cannot tolerate the mistreatment of my companion-in-arms".
-Tensions between Dacko and Bokassa continued to escalate in the coming months. In December, Dacko approved an increase in the budget for Izamo's gendarmerie, but rejected the budget proposal Bokassa had made for the army. At this point, Bokassa told friends he was annoyed by Dacko's mistreatment and was "going for a coup d'état". Dacko planned to replace Bokassa with Izamo as his personal [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_adviser military adviser], and wanted to promote army officers loyal to the government, while demoting Bokassa and his close associates. Dacko did not conceal his plans; he hinted at his intentions to elders of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobangui Bobangui] village, who in turn informed Bokassa of the plot. Bokassa realized he had to act against Dacko quickly, and worried that his 500-man army would be no match for the gendarmerie and the presidential guard.<span style="line-height:0px;"> </span>He was also overwrought over the possibility that the French would come to Dacko's aid after the coup d'état, as had occurred after one in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabon Gabon] against President [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9on_M%27ba Léon M'ba] in February 1964. After receiving word of the coup from the country's vice president, officials in Paris sent [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paratrooper paratroopers] to Gabon in a matter of hours and M'Ba was quickly restored to power.
+Tensions between Dacko and Bokassa continued to escalate in the coming months. In December, Dacko approved an increase in the budget for Izamo's gendarmerie, but rejected the budget proposal Bokassa had made for the army. At this point, Bokassa told friends he was annoyed by Dacko's mistreatment and was "going for a coup d'état". Dacko planned to replace Bokassa with Izamo as his personal [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_adviser military adviser], and wanted to promote army officers loyal to the government, while demoting Bokassa and his close associates. Dacko did not conceal his plans; he hinted at his intentions to elders of the Bobangui village, who in turn informed Bokassa of the plot. Bokassa realized he had to act against Dacko quickly, and worried that his 500-man army would be no match for the gendarmerie and the presidential guard.<span style="line-height:0px;"> </span>He was also overwrought over the possibility that the French would come to Dacko's aid after the coup d'état, as had occurred after one in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabon Gabon] against President [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%A9on_M%27ba Léon M'ba] in February 1964. After receiving word of the coup from the country's vice president, officials in Paris sent [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paratrooper paratroopers] to Gabon in a matter of hours and M'Ba was quickly restored to power.
 Bokassa received substantive support from his co-conspirator, Captain [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandre_Banza Alexandre Banza], who commanded the Camp Kassaï military base in northeast Bangui, and, like Bokassa, had been stationed with the French army around the world. Banza was an intelligent, ambitious and capable man who played a major role in the planning of the coup. By December, many people began to anticipate the political turmoil that would soon engulf the country. Dacko's personal advisers alerted him that Bokassa "showed signs of mental instability" and needed to be arrested before he sought to bring down the government but Dacko did not heed these warnings.
 ==Coup d'état==
 Dacko left the Palais de la Renaissance early in the evening of 31 December 1965 to visit one of his ministers' plantations southwest of Bangui. An hour and a half before midnight, Captain Banza gave orders to his officers to begin the coup. Bokassa called Izamo at his headquarters and asked him to come to Camp de Roux to sign some documents that needed his immediate attention. Izamo, who was at a New Year's Eve celebration with friends, reluctantly agreed and travelled to the camp. Upon arrival, he was confronted by Banza and Bokassa, who informed him of the coup in progress. After declaring his opposition to the coup, Izamo was taken by the coup plotters to an underground [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basement cellar].<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Titleyp27_22-1">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-B%C3%A9del_Bokassa#cite_note-Titleyp27-22 [22]]</sup>
+<nowiki>[[File:Bokassa_colored.png|thumb|Jean-Bédel Bokassa during his 1970 [[wikipedia:State visit|state visit]] to Romania]]</nowiki>
 Around midnight, Bokassa, Banza and their supporters left Camp de Roux to take over the capital.<span style="line-height:0px;"> </span><span style="font-size:13px;line-height:21px;">After seizing the capital in a matter of hours, Bokassa and Banza rushed to the Palais de la Renaissance in order to arrest Dacko. However, Dacko was nowhere to be found. Bokassa panicked, believing the president had been warned of the coup in advance, and immediately ordered his soldiers to search for Dacko in the countryside until he was found.</span><span style="font-size:13px;line-height:21px;">Dacko was arrested by soldiers patrolling Pétévo Junction, on the western border of the capital. He was taken back to the presidential palace, where Bokassa hugged the president and told him, "I tried to warn you—but now it's too late". President Dacko was taken to Ngaragba Prison in east Bangui at around 02:00 </span>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_African_Time WAT]<span style="font-size:13px;line-height:21px;"> (01:00 </span>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTC UTC]<span style="font-size:13px;line-height:21px;">). In a move that he thought would boost his popularity in the country, Bokassa ordered prison director Otto Sacher to release all prisoners in the jail. Bokassa then took Dacko to Camp Kassaï, where he forced the president to resign. Later, Bokassa's officers announced on Radio-Bangui that the Dacko government had been toppled and Bokassa had taken over control.</span><span style="font-size:13px;line-height:21px;"> In the morning, Bokassa addressed the public via Radio-Bangui: </span>''Centrafricains! Centrafricains! C'est le colonel Bokassa vous parle. Depuis 3h00 ce matin, votre armée a pris le contrôle du gouvernement. Le gouvernement Dacko a démissionné. L'heure de la justice est à portée de main. La bourgeoisie est abolie. Une nouvelle ère de l'égalité entre tous a commencé. Centrafricains, où que vous soyez, soyez assuré que l'armée va vous défendre et de vos biens... Vive la République centrafricaine!''<span style="font-size:13px;line-height:21px;">Translation:</span>
@@ Line 72: / Line 73: @@
 After a meeting with Gaddafi in September 1976, Bokassa converted to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam Islam] and changed his name to Salah Eddine Ahmed Bokassa, but in December 1976 he converted back to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholicism Catholicism]. It is presumed that his conversion to Islam was a ploy calculated to ensure ongoing Libyan financial aid. When no funds promised by Gaddafi were forthcoming, Bokassa abandoned his new faith—which was also incompatible with his plans to be crowned emperor in the Catholic cathedral in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangui Bangui].
 ===Proclamation of the Empire===
-In September 1976, Bokassa dissolved the government and replaced it with the ''Conseil de la Révolution Centrafricaine'' (Central African Revolutionary Council). On 4 December 1976, at the MESAN congress, Bokassa instituted a new constitution and declared the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic republic] a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchy monarchy], the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_African_Empire Central African Empire]. The following year, he issued an imperial [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution constitution], announced his conversion back to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Church Catholicism] and had himself crowned "S.M.I. Bokassa 1<sup>er</sup> ", with S.M.I. standing for ''Sa Majesté Impériale'': "His Imperial Majesty", in a formal coronation ceremony on 4 December 1977. Bokassa's full title was ''Empereur de Centrafrique par la volonté du peuple Centrafricain, uni au sein du parti politique national, le [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MESAN MESAN]'' ("Emperor of Central Africa by the will of the Central African people, united within the national political party, the MESAN"). His [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regalia regalia], lavish [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation coronation] ceremony and regime of the newly formed Central African Empire were largely inspired by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_I_of_France Napoleon I], who had converted the French Revolutionary Republic of which he was First Consul into the First French Empire. The coronation ceremony was estimated to cost his country roughly 20 million US dollars. Bokassa attempted to justify his actions by claiming that creating a monarchy would help Central Africa "stand out" from the rest of the continent, and earn the world's respect. The 1977 coronation ceremony consumed one third of the CAE's (Central African Empire) annual budget and all of France's aid money for that year, but despite generous invitations, no foreign leaders attended the event. By this time, many people in the CAE and in the rest of the world thought Bokassa was insane, and the Western press, mostly in France, the UK, and USA, often compared his eccentric behavior and egotistical extravagance with that of Africa's other well-known eccentric dictator, [[Idi Amin]] of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda Uganda]. Tenacious rumors that he occasionally [[Cannibalism|consumed human flesh]] were found unproven during his eventual trial.
+In September 1976, Bokassa dissolved the government and replaced it with the ''Conseil de la Révolution Centrafricaine'' (Central African Revolutionary Council). On 4 December 1976, at the MESAN congress, Bokassa instituted a new constitution and declared the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic republic] a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarchy monarchy], the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_African_Empire Central African Empire]. The following year, he issued an imperial [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution constitution], announced his conversion back to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_Church Catholicism] and had himself crowned "S.M.I. Bokassa 1<sup>er</sup> ", with S.M.I. standing for ''Sa Majesté Impériale'': "His Imperial Majesty", in a formal coronation ceremony on 4 December 1977. Bokassa's full title was ''Empereur de Centrafrique par la volonté du peuple Centrafricain, uni au sein du parti politique national, le MESAN'' ("Emperor of Central Africa by the will of the Central African people, united within the national political party, the MESAN"). His [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regalia regalia], lavish [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation coronation] ceremony and regime of the newly formed Central African Empire were largely inspired by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_I_of_France Napoleon I], who had converted the French Revolutionary Republic of which he was First Consul into the First French Empire. The coronation ceremony was estimated to cost his country roughly 20 million US dollars. Bokassa attempted to justify his actions by claiming that creating a monarchy would help Central Africa "stand out" from the rest of the continent, and earn the world's respect. The 1977 coronation ceremony consumed one third of the CAE's (Central African Empire) annual budget and all of France's aid money for that year, but despite generous invitations, no foreign leaders attended the event. By this time, many people in the CAE and in the rest of the world thought Bokassa was insane, and the Western press, mostly in France, the UK, and USA, often compared his eccentric behavior and egotistical extravagance with that of Africa's other well-known eccentric dictator, [[Idi Amin]] of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda Uganda]. Tenacious rumors that he occasionally [[Cannibalism|consumed human flesh]] were found unproven during his eventual trial.
 Although Bokassa claimed that the new empire would be a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_monarchy constitutional monarchy], no significant democratic reforms were made, and suppression of dissenters remained widespread. [[Torture]] was said to be especially rampant, with allegations that even Bokassa himself occasionally participated in beatings and executions.
@@ Line 82: / Line 83: @@
 The massive worldwide press coverage which followed the deaths of the students opened the way for a successful coup which saw French troops (in "Opération Barracuda") invade the Central African Empire and restored former president David Dacko to power while Bokassa fled into [[exile]] by airplane to the Ivory Coast ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire Côte d'Ivoire]) on 20 September 1979.
 ===Operation Barracuda===
-Bokassa's overthrow by the French government was called "France's last colonial expedition" (''"la dernière expédition coloniale française"'') by veteran French diplomat [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Foccart Jacques Foccart]. ''Operation Barracuda'' began on the evening of 20 September and ended early the next morning. An undercover commando squad from the French intelligence agency [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SDECE SDECE] (now [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DGSE DGSE]), joined by Special Forces' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Marine_Infantry_Parachute_Regiment 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment], or ''1<sup>er</sup> RPIMa'', led by Colonel Brancion-Rouge, landed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transall Transall] and managed to secure the Bangui M'Poko airport with little resistance. Upon arrival of two more French military transport aircraft, containing over 300 French troops, a message was sent by Colonel Brancion-Rouge to Colonel Degenne to come in with his ''Barracudas'' (codename for eight [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%A9rospatiale_Puma Puma helicopters] and Transall aircraft), which took off from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%27Djamena N'Djamena] military airport in neighbouring [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chad Chad].
+Bokassa's overthrow by the French government was called "France's last colonial expedition" (''"la dernière expédition coloniale française"'') by veteran French diplomat [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Foccart Jacques Foccart]. ''Operation Barracuda'' began on the evening of 20 September and ended early the next morning. An undercover commando squad from the French intelligence agency [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SDECE SDECE] (now [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DGSE DGSE]), joined by Special Forces' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_Marine_Infantry_Parachute_Regiment 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment], or ''1<sup>er</sup> RPIMa'', led by Colonel Brancion-Rouge, landed by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transall Transall] and managed to secure the Bangui M'Poko airport with little resistance. Upon arrival of two more French military transport aircraft, containing over 300 French troops, a message was sent by Colonel Brancion-Rouge to Colonel Degenne to come in with his ''Barracudas'' (codename for eight [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%A9rospatiale_Puma Puma helicopters] and Transall aircraft), which took off from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%27Djamena N'Djamena] military airport in neighbouring Chad.
 ===Fall of the empire===
 By 12:30 p.m. on 21 September, the pro-French Dacko proclaimed the fall of the Central African Empire and the restoration of the Central African Republic under his presidency. David Dacko remained president until he was overthrown on 1 September 1981 by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Kolingba André Kolingba]. Bokassa, who was visiting Libya on a state visit at the time, fled to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire Côte d'Ivoire] (Ivory Coast) where he spent four years living in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abidjan Abidjan]. He then moved to France where he was allowed to settle in his Chateau d'[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardricourt Hardricourt] in the suburb of Paris. France gave him political asylum because of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Foreign_Legion French Foreign Legion] obligations.
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 During Bokassa's seven-year of exile, he wrote his memoirs after complaining that his French military pension was insufficient. But the French courts ordered that all 8,000 copies of the book be confiscated and destroyed after his publisher claimed that Bokassa said that he shared women with President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, who has been a frequent guest in the Central African Republic. Bokassa also claimed to have given Giscard a gift of diamonds worth around a quarter of a million dollars in 1973 while the French president was serving as finance minister. Giscard's next presidential reelection campaign failed in the wake of the scandal. Bokassa's presence in France proved embarrassing to many government ministers who supported him during his entire rule.
 ==Trial and death==
-Bokassa had been sentenced to death ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_absentia in absentia]'' in December 1980 for the murder of numerous political rivals. However, he returned from exile in France on 24 October 1986. Bokassa was immediately arrested by the Central African authorities as soon as he stepped off the plane and was tried for 14 different charges, including [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treason treason], murder, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibalism cannibalism], illegal use of property, assault and battery, and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embezzlement embezzlement]. Now that Bokassa was unexpectedly in the hands of the Central African Republic government, they were required by law to try him in person, granting him the benefit of defence counsel.
+Bokassa had been sentenced to death ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_absentia in absentia]'' in December 1980 for the murder of numerous political rivals. However, he returned from exile in France on 24 October 1986. Bokassa was immediately arrested by the Central African authorities in the Ngaragba prison as soon as he stepped off the plane and was tried for 14 different charges, including [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treason treason], murder, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibalism cannibalism], illegal use of property, assault and battery, and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embezzlement embezzlement]. Now that Bokassa was unexpectedly in the hands of the Central African Republic government, they were required by law to try him in person, granting him the benefit of defence counsel.
 The trial began on 15 December 1986, taking place in the hot and humid, non-air conditioned chambers of the ''Palais de Justice'' in Bangui. Bokassa hired two French lawyers, François Gilbault and Francis Szpiner, which faced a panel composed of six jurors and three judges, presided over by High Court Judge Edouard Franck, which was modelled after the legal system in France itself. A fair jury trial of a former head of state was unprecedented in the history of post-colonial Africa where previous dictators had been tried and executed after show trials. New, too, was public access to the trial which the courtroom was constantly filled with standing-room-only spectators as well as live French-language broadcasts by Radio Bangui and local TV news crews which was broadcast all over the country, as well as neighbouring French-speaking African countries. The trial was listened to and watched by all those in the Central African Republic and in neighbouring countries by those who had access to any type of radio or TV set.