Jean-Bédel Bokassa: Difference between revisions

Line 8:

|origin = Bobangui, Ubangi-Shari, French Equatorial Africa

|type of villain = Power Hungry Dictator

|crimes = Embezzlement [[Cannibalism]] Abuse of power Mass [[murder]] Human rights violations Treason

|crimes = Embezzlement [[Cannibalism]] Abuse of power Mass [[murder]] Human rights violations Treason [[Torture]]

|goals = Conquer all of Central Africa (failed)

|hobby = N/A}}

{{Quote|~~I'm don't say I'm a saint~~. ~~I'm a man like any other~~.|Bokassa ~~during~~ his ~~trial for murder~~, ~~embezzlement and cannibalism in 1979~~.}}

{{Quote|A new era of equality has begun. Central Africans, wherever you may be, be assured that the army will defend you and your property. Long live the Central African Republic!|Bokassa following his successful coup, January 1, 1966.}}

'''Jean-Bedel Bokasa''' (February 22, 1921 - November 3, 1996) was the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_of_state head of state] of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_African_Republic Central African Republic] and its successor state, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_African_Empire Central African Empire], from his [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_d%27%C3%A9tat coup d'état] on 1 January 1966 until 20 September 1979. Of this period, he served almost eleven years (1 January 1966 – 4 December 1976) as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President president] ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_for_life president for life] in 1972–1976), and for almost three years he reigned as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_of_Central_Africa emperor] (4 December 1976 – 20 September 1979). Following his overthrow, the Central African Republic was restored. Although Bokassa was formally crowned in December 1977, his imperial title did not achieve worldwide diplomatic recognition.

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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 [~~http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/~~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 [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.

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.

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.

==Overthrow==

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By January 1979, French support for Bokassa had all but eroded after food riots in Bangui led to a massacre of civilians. But the final straw came when between 17 April and 19 April, a large number of elementary school students in Bangui and elsewhere in the country were arrested after they had protested against paying for and wearing the expensive, government-required [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_uniform school uniforms] with Bokassa's image on them. Around 100 children were killed. Bokassa allegedly participated in the massacre, beating some of the children to death with his cane; however, the initial reports received by Amnesty International indicated only that the 100 or more school students who died actually suffocated or were beaten to death while being forced into a small jail cell following their arrest.

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.

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].

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[[Category:Islam]]

[[Category:Mutilators]]

[[Category:Successful]]

[[Category:Thugs]]

[[Category:Elitist]]

[[Category:Incriminator]]

[[Category:Paranoid]]

[[Category:Torturer]]

[[Category:Barbarians]]

[[Category:Starvers]]

[[Category:Posthumous]]

[[Category:Sadists]]

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 |origin = Bobangui, Ubangi-Shari, French Equatorial Africa
 |type of villain = Power Hungry Dictator
-|crimes = Embezzlement<br>[[Cannibalism]]<br>Abuse of power<br>Mass [[murder]]<br>Human rights violations<br>Treason
+|crimes = Embezzlement<br>[[Cannibalism]]<br>Abuse of power<br>Mass [[murder]]<br>Human rights violations<br>Treason<br>[[Torture]]
 |goals = Conquer all of Central Africa (failed)
 |hobby = N/A}}
-{{Quote|I'm don't say I'm a saint. I'm a man like any other.|Bokassa during his trial for murder, embezzlement and cannibalism in 1979.}}
+{{Quote|A new era of equality has begun. Central Africans, wherever you may be, be assured that the army will defend you and your property. Long live the Central African Republic!|Bokassa following his successful coup, January 1, 1966.}}
 '''Jean-Bedel Bokasa''' (February 22, 1921 - November 3, 1996) was the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_of_state head of state] of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_African_Republic Central African Republic] and its successor state, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_African_Empire Central African Empire], from his [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_d%27%C3%A9tat coup d'état] on 1 January 1966 until 20 September 1979. Of this period, he served almost eleven years (1 January 1966 – 4 December 1976) as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President president] ([http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_for_life president for life] in 1972–1976), and for almost three years he reigned as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_of_Central_Africa emperor] (4 December 1976 – 20 September 1979). Following his overthrow, the Central African Republic was restored. Although Bokassa was formally crowned in December 1977, his imperial title did not achieve worldwide diplomatic recognition.
@@ Line 72: / Line 72: @@
 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 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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 [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.
-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.
+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.
 ==Overthrow==
@@ Line 80: / Line 80: @@
 By January 1979, French support for Bokassa had all but eroded after food riots in Bangui led to a massacre of civilians. But the final straw came when between 17 April and 19 April, a large number of elementary school students in Bangui and elsewhere in the country were arrested after they had protested against paying for and wearing the expensive, government-required [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_uniform school uniforms] with Bokassa's image on them. Around 100 children were killed.<span style="line-height:0px;"> </span>Bokassa allegedly participated in the massacre, beating some of the children to death with his cane; however, the initial reports received by Amnesty International indicated only that the 100 or more school students who died actually suffocated or were beaten to death while being forced into a small jail cell following their arrest.
-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.
+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].
@@ Line 165: / Line 165: @@
 [[Category:Islam]]
 [[Category:Mutilators]]
+[[Category:Successful]]
+[[Category:Thugs]]
+[[Category:Elitist]]
+[[Category:Incriminator]]
+[[Category:Paranoid]]
+[[Category:Torturer]]
+[[Category:Barbarians]]
+[[Category:Starvers]]
+[[Category:Posthumous]]
+[[Category:Sadists]]