Timeline Central African Republic
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Dinar: http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/Country_Specific/CAR.html
Fung: http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/centralafr.html
CIA Factbook: http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/ct.html
Polygamy is legal in the former French colony, one
of
the world's
poorest countries, with men allowed to marry up to four wives.
(Reuters, 12/03/05)
1921
Feb 22, Jean-Bedel Bokassa, dictator Central
African Republic, was born.
(MC, 2/22/02)
1959 CAR adopted a
Constitution.
(SFC, 5/22/96, p.A9)
1960 Aug 13, Central African
Republic became independence from France and David Dacko was named
1st president.
(MC, 8/13/02)(PC, 1992, p.973)(EWH, 1st ed.,
p.1173)
1965 Col. Jean-Bedel Bokassa,
commander of the army and minister of defense, was picked by France
to overthrow David Dacko when he began establishing close ties with
China.
(SFC, 11/4/96, p.A22)
1966 Jean-Bedel Bokassa
overthrew his cousin, David Dacko, in a bloodless coup that was said
to be backed by the French. He abolished the 1959 constitution,
dissolved the National Assembly and concentrated power in the
presidency.
(SFC, 5/22/96, p.A9)(SFC, 3/20/97, p.A24)
1972 Mar 2, Jean-Bédel
Bokassa appointed himself President for life of the Central African
Republic.
(www.etat.sciencespobordeaux.fr/_anglais/chronologie/centralafrican.html)
1976 The Development Bank
of Central African States (BDEAC) was established and included six
members of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa:
Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial
Guinea and Gabon.
(AP, 9/23/09)
1977 Dec 4, Jean-Bedel Bokassa
(1921-1996), ruler of the Central African Empire, crowned himself
emperor in a ceremony duplicating the coronation of Napoleon. It was
believed to have cost more than $100 ($25) million. Bokassa was
deposed in 1979.
(AP, 12/4/97)(WSJ, 1/11/99,
p.R4)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-B%C3%A9del_Bokassa)
1979 Sep 20, In the Central
African Republic Jean-Bedel Bokassa was toppled in a French-backed
coup. 700 French paratroopers took control of Bangui while Bokassa
was away on a state visit to Libya.
(SFC, 5/22/96, p.A9)(SFC, 11/4/96, p.A22)(AP,
9/20/99)
1979 In the Central African
Republic some 100 school children were slaughtered following a
protest over expensive uniforms owned by one of the wives of Emp.
Jean-Bedel Bokassa.
(SFC, 10/11/03, p.A2)
1981 Mar, In the Central
African Republic David Dacko (1930-2003) was re-elected president.
He was overthrown in a bloodless coup in September.
(SFC, 5/22/96,
p.A9)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Dacko)
1981 Sep 1, In the Central
African Republic army chief Andre Kolingba (d.2010 at 73) took over
power in another coup that deposed independence leader David Dacko.
Kolingba agreed to re-instate a multi-party system in 1991, but
continued to rule until 1993.
(SFC, 5/22/96,
p.A9)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Kolingba)(AFP, 2/8/10)
1986 In the Central African
Republic women gained the right to vote.
(Reuters, 12/03/05)
1986 Jean-Bedel Bokassa
returned to the Central African Republic from exile. In 1988 he was
jailed for embezzlement and murder after a trial in which he was
accused of cannibalism and infanticide.
(SFC, 5/22/96, p.A9)(SFC, 10/11/03, p.A2)(AFP,
12/1/10)
1988 Former Central African
Republic ruler Jean-Bedel Bokassa was sentenced to death for murder
and embezzlement. His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
(AFP, 12/1/10)
1993 Oct, In the CAR's first
democratic elections (organized with French help) Andre Kolingba was
voted out of office and Ange-Felix Patasse won the presidency.
Patasse was a member of the northern Bayas.
(SFC, 5/22/96, p.A9)(SFC, 12/9/96, p.A22)(WSJ,
1/10/97, p.A10)
1993 Former Central African
Republic ruler Jean-Bedel Bokassa was released from prison by
President Andre Kolingba, who had overthrown David Dacko. Bokassa
ended his days as a recluse in his villa in Bangui and died of a
heart attack in 1996.
(AFP, 12/1/10)
1996 Apr, A dispute over pay
caused some 400 CAR soldiers to mutiny and rampage over the capital
city of Bangui.
(SFC, 5/5/96, p.T-8)
1996 May 19, French troops
moved into Bangui of the CAR to help quell an army uprising and
protect French citizens. Rebel troops called for the resignation of
pres. Patasse.
(SFC, 5/20/96, p.A-9)(SFC, 5/23/96, p. C2)
1996 May 20, In the CAR 2
French soldiers were shot and wounded as they assisted French
citizens to evacuate. It was the second uprising by the army in two
months and seven people have been killed since fighting started.
(SFC, 5/21/96, p.A-11)
1996 Jun 5, Rivals signed an
accord to form a CAR unity government.
(WSJ, 6/6/96, p.A1)
1996 Nov 3, Jean-Bedel Bokassa
(75), former self-proclaimed emperor (1967-1979) of the Central
African Republic, died. He was called "the Ogre of Berengo."
(SFC, 11/4/96, p.A22)(MC, 11/3/01)(SSFC, 5/4/03,
p.M2)
1996 Dec 1, Army factions in
Bangui, CAR, began fighting. Rebel troops of the Yakoma tribe seized
key points.
(SFC, 12/2/96, p.A12)
1996 Dec 8, The CAR government
and army mutineers agreed to a 15-day truce. The rebel ranks were
dominated by the southern Bayas.
(SFC, 12/9/96, p.A22)
1997 Jan 5, In the CAR district
of Petevo, French troops killed 10 CAR army mutineers, after 2
French soldiers were killed on a mediation mission.
(SFC, 1/6/97, p.A9)
1997 Jul 10, CAR Pres. Patasse
reconciled with 300 mutinous soldiers.
(WSJ, 7/11/97, p.A1)
1999 Ange-Felix Patasse was
re-elected president of the CAR.
(Econ, 5/26/07, p.52)
2000 Feb 10, The UN Security
Council officially ended the peacekeeping mission and established a
CAR support office to help consolidate peace.
(SFC, 2/11/00, p.D2)
2001 May 28, In the Central
African Republic at least 12 people were killed in a failed coup
attempt against Pres. Ange-Felix Patasse. 80 people in 2002 went on
trial for the attempted coup.
(SFC, 5/29/01, p.A12)(SFC, 2/15/02, p.A10)
2001 May 30, Libya flew troops
and weapons to the Central African Republic to help Pres. Patasse to
put down a coup attempt.
(WSJ, 5/31/01, p.A1)
2001 May 31, Security forces in
Bangui, CAR, went house to house in a search for coup conspirators.
Patasse blamed the opposition leader, a member of the Yacoma ethnic
group, for the coup attempt. One young Yacoma man was seen shot dead
in the street by soldiers.
(SFC, 6/1/01, p.D3)
2001 Jun 4, Fighting continued
in Bangui, CAR, with artillery fire exchanged.
(WSJ, 6/5/01, p.A1)
2001 Jun 6, Fighting continued
in Bangui, CAR, and some 50,000 civilians had fled to the forests.
Food was scarce and disease outbreaks were feared.
(SFC, 6/7/01, p.C2)
2001 Jul 5, Jean-Pierre Lhomme,
a UN security chief, was shot and killed in Bangui, CAR, as he aided
a fellow worker.
(SFC, 7/7/01, p.B1)
2001 Aug 26, It was reported
that the 62 children of Jean-Bedel Bokassa, the late emperor
(1966-1979) of CAR, sought to turn Bokassa’s empty palace into a
tourist attraction.
(SFC, 8/27/01, p.A6)
2001 Nov 3, CAR presidential
guard units fought soldiers loyal to the former army chief of staff
a day after government forces tried to arrest the ousted general.
(WSJ, 11/5/01, p.A1)
2001 Nov 5, In the Central
African Republic troops loyal to Gen. Francois Bozize fired mortar
shells at Pres. Patasse’s residence in Bangui and engaged government
soldiers for a 3rd day of fighting.
(SFC, 11/6/01, p.A14)
2001 Central African
Republic’s General Kolingba fled into exile in Uganda following the
failed May 28 attempt to overthrow Patasse. Kolingba was sentenced
to death and stripped of military rank in his absence, but was
amnestied in 2003 after General Francois Bozize seized power from
Patasse.
(AP, 2/8/10)
2001 In the Central African
Republic Martin Ziguele began serving as prime minister and
continued to 2003.
(AFP, 9/25/10)
2002 Jul 4, In Bangui, CAR, a
Boeing 707 cargo plane crashed in a sparsely populated residential
area in this central African capital, killing at least 20 people.
(AP, 7/4/02)(SFC, 7/5/02, p.A14)
2002 Aug 26, In Bangui, Central
African Republic, former military ruler Gen. Andre Kolingba was
convicted in absentia of taking part in a failed 2001 coup and was
sentenced to death.
(AP, 8/26/02)
2002 Oct 24, In Bangui, Central
African Republic, rebels loyal to the deposed army chief of staff
fought members of the presidential guard and Libyan troops for
control of the airport.
(AP, 10/26/02)
2002 Oct 31, The Central
African Republic claimed to have put down a coup attempt by rebels
backing General Francois Bozize, an ousted army chief of staff.
(AP, 11/1/02)(Econ, 5/26/07, p.52)
2002 Nov 11, In the CAR a
baggage-laden roof of an overloaded river taxi near Kouango
collapsed on passengers, crushing 58 people.
(AP, 11/23/02)
2002 Dec 28, Libyan soldiers
ended a yearlong deployment to protect the Central African Republic
government against a string of coup attempts. They were to be
replaced by troops from Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea,
Cameroon, Gabon and Mali.
(AP, 12/31/02)
2003 Mar 20, In the Central
African Republic Gen. Francois Bozizea asked his fighters to hand
over their weapons to troops from neighboring Chad, prompting the
insurgents to accuse their leader of betraying them.
(AP, 3/21/03)
2003 Mar 23, In the CAR Gen.
Francois Bozize said Abel Goumba (76), a veteran opposition leader,
will oversee daily operations in the government.
(AP, 3/23/03)
2003 Mar, In the CAR Gen.
Francois Bozize took power in a 2nd coup following 5 months of
conflict during which Pres. Patasse had enlisted support of rebel
troops from the Congo, led by Jean-Pierre Bemba, along with
mercenaries from Chad and Libya. Sexual violence during this period
was particularly brutal.
(Econ, 5/26/07, p.52)
2003 Jun 27, The Central
African Republic's former PM fled after being granted asylum in
France, ending five months holed up in the French Embassy after a
coup here.
(AP, 6/27/03)
2003 Oct 10, A Central African
Republic national forum recommended posthumous forgiveness for
despot Jean-Bedel Bokassa (d.1996), whose 13-year rule (1966-1979)
ruined the country. The vote followed an apology by Bokassa's son
Jean-Serge (31). About 60 legitimate children of Bokassa had
mandated one of their number, Jean-Serge Bokassa, to sit as a
delegate in a reconciliation forum called the "National Dialogue."
There, he asked "forgiveness for the wrong" done by his father and
called for his rehabilitation because he had helped to build the
country.
(SFC, 10/11/03, p.A2)(AFP, 12/3/10)
2003 Nov 20, David Dacko (76),
the first president of Central African Republic as an independent
nation (1960-1966, 1979-1981), died.
(AP, 11/21/03)
2004 Mar 1, Jean-Bertrand
Aristide from the Central African Republic said in a telephone
interview that he was "forced to leave" Haiti by U.S. military
forces.
(AP, 3/1/04)(SFC, 2/02/04, p.A1)
2004 Jul 12, Newspapers in
Senegal and the Central African Republic suspended publication to
protest the jailings of leading journalists.
(AP, 7/12/04)
2004 Jul 15, The Gates
Foundation announced a $44.7 million award at the AIDS Conference in
Bangkok to a consortium of TB and AIDS researchers. The 2 diseases
were often linked. A UN report cited 7 countries as the hardest hit
by the AIDS pandemic: Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Lesotho, Zambia, Malawi,
the Central African Republic and Mozambique.
(WSJ, 7/15/04, p.B1)(SFC, 7/16/04, p.A6)
2004 Jul 25, Central African
Republic President Francois Bozize wrapped up a two-day visit to
Sudan with a pledge to help his Sudanese counterpart Omar al-Beshir
resolve the crisis in the western Darfur region.
(AFP, 7/25/04)
2005 Mar 4, Tribes from western
Sudan and the neighboring Central African Republic signed a peace
charter in a bid to end cross-border clashes.
(AFP, 3/4/05)
2005 Mar 14, Voters in Central
African Republic cast ballots for president in the first poll since
rebels seized the capital two years ago. Gen. Francois Bozize, the
former army officer-turned-insurgent who now presides over the
country, was considered the front-runner in a field of 11.
(AP, 3/14/05)
2005 May 8, In Central African
Republic a coup leader who seized power in a rebel war two years ago
sought the presidency in a runoff election against a man
representing the former ruling party he ousted. The military
strongman Francois Bozize faces former PM Martin Ziguele in a poll
that many hope will bring an end to an era of army coups and
revolts.
(AP, 5/7/05)
2005 May 24, In the Central
African Republic military strongman Francois Bozize won the May 8
runoff presidential runoff election, a move toward legitimizing his
rule two years after he seized power.
(AP, 5/24/05)
2005 Aug 6, In Central African
Republic an overloaded boat carrying hundreds of people has sunk on
a river, and at least 13 people were reported dead and dozens more
missing.
(AP, 8/9/05)
2005 Dec 3, It was reported
that the Central African Republic has ordered radio and television
stations to stop broadcasting songs which encourage men to dump
their wives, saying such music is a hindrance to the country's
development.
(Reuters, 12/03/05)
2006 Mar 11, Authorities in
Central African Republic accused exiled former President Ange-Felix
Patasse of forming a rebel movement and recruiting fighters to
overthrow the government.
(AP, 3/13/06)
2006 Apr 14, The Central
African Republic said it has asked the International Criminal Court
to investigate crimes against humanity allegedly committed by its
former president and a Congolese vice president. Government
spokesman Celestin Gamou said CAR suspects ex-President Ange-Felix
Patasse and Congo Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba of ordering or
committing murder and rape against civilians, as well as of
embezzling funds and destroying public and private property.
(AP, 4/14/06)
2006 Jun 26, An attack on an
army camp in the Central African Republic (CAR) resulted in 33
deaths. The provisional toll included 11 CAR soldiers, two Chadian
soldiers from the multinational force FOMUC and 20 attackers.
(AFP, 6/27/06)
2006 Oct 27, The UN said it is
sending a mission to Chad and the Central African Republic to look
at operations to curb the escalating violence and help protect
hundreds of thousands of civilians.
(AP, 10/28/06)
2006 Nov 3, In Chad rebels
intent on toppling Pres. Francois Bozize took the town of Birao.
They appeared to be operating out of the Darfur region of Sudan.
(Econ, 11/11/06, p.54)
2006 Nov 4, The Central African
Republic's parliament called on the international community and
France in particular to aid it against rebels who have seized a
northern town. A rebel alliance, the Union of Democratic Forces for
the Rally (UFDR) said it had seized the northeastern town of Birao
on Oct 30.
(AFP, 11/4/06)
2006 Nov 10, In the Central
African Republic the rebel Union of Democratic Forces for the Rally
(UDFR) seized the town of Ouadda Djalle on after heavy fighting with
government troops who were forced to retreat.
(AP, 11/10/06)
2006 Nov 13, France said it
will aid the Central African Republic's army with logistics and
aerial reconnaissance in its fight against rebels in the northeast
of the country.
(AFP, 11/13/06)
2006 Nov 18, Gabonese President
Omar Bongo said in a statement that the Central African Economic and
Monetary Community (CEMAC) had "acceded to a request from the
Central African Republic authorities to intervene in securing
conflict zones." CEMAC's members include the Central African
Republic, Chad, Gabon, Congo, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.
(AFP, 11/18/06)
2006 Nov 23, A military
official said France has bolstered its presence in the Central
African Republic with 100 more troops following rebel attacks and
growing concern over the neighboring Darfur region of Sudan.
(AP, 11/23/06)
2006 Nov 22, Police in the west
African state of Benin arrested two rebel leaders from the Central
African Republic (CAR), whose forces are waging a violent offensive
in their home country. The leader of the rebel Union of Democratic
Forces for Unity, Michel Am Non Droko Djotodia, and his spokesman
Abakar Sabone, were apprehended in Benin's capital, Cotonou, under
an international arrest warrant. In 2008 President Boni Yayi asked
for and obtained the lifting of the international arrest warrant"
for the two rebel leaders.
(AP, 11/25/06)(AFP, 2/19/08)
2006 Nov 28, Government
soldiers in the Central African Republic were on the offensive, with
French military support, to seize back towns captured by rebels who
have steadily advanced from border territory.
(AP, 11/28/06)
2006 Nov 30, Central African
Republic government soldiers regained control of Ouadda, the second
town taken back from rebels, and pursued a counter-offensive
northwards.
(AFP, 12/1/06)
2006 Dec 2, Government troops
in the Central African Republic said they have recaptured the town
of Sam Ouandja on the sixth day of a counter-offensive supported by
French troops, leaving rebels with only one major northeastern town,
Ouadda Djalle.
(AFP, 12/2/06)
2006 Dec 8, Government forces
in the Central African Republic, bolstered by French and African
support, recaptured the northeastern town of Sam Ouandja from rebels
without incident.
(AFP, 12/9/06)
2006 Dec 15, In Kenya 11
African heads of state attending the 2nd International Conference on
the Great Lakes Region signed a landmark $2 billion
(1.5-billion-euro) security and development pact to forestall fresh
violence in the area.
(AFP, 12/15/06)
2006 Dec 27, Central African
President Francois Bozize ordered the army to set fire to the homes
of two leaders of a dissident Baptist church, after they did the
same to a pastor's house, to teach them a lesson.
(AFP, 12/28/06)
2007 Jan 5, Chinese Foreign
Minister Li Zhaoxing met with Pres. Bozize of the Central African
Republic. Zhaoxing was set to sign a series of accords as part of
seven-nation tour highlighting China's increasing interest in the
African continent.
(AFP, 1/5/07)
2007 Jan 15, More than 100
rebels attacked a northwestern town in the Central African Republic,
sparking the first fighting with government troops in more than a
month.
(AP, 1/15/07)
2007 Feb 2, Abdoulaye Miskine,
the head of one of the Central African Republic's main rebel groups,
inked in Libya a peace deal described as "historic" by the
government. Under the deal, which CAR's other main rebel factions
are expected to sign up to, there will be an immediate ceasefire and
Miskine's rebels will be integrated into civilian life or absorbed
into the army. Rebel prisoners are to be freed.
(AFP, 2/3/07)
2007 Feb 13, Police and troops
in Bangui, CAR, used live ammunition to disperse residents angered
at the killing of two of their number by officers of the
anti-banditry squad.
(AP, 2/14/07)
2007 Feb 15, A summit of
African leaders opened in Cannes on the French Riviera. The crisis
in Darfur and violence in Guinea overshadowed the summit, as well as
perennial issues of poverty, development and AIDS. France won
agreement from three involved African nations (Sudan, Chad and
Central African Republic) that they would not support armed rebel
movements on each other's territories.
(AP, 2/15/07)(AP, 2/15/07)
2007 Feb 23, Uganda's army said
that 400 rebel Lord's Resistance Army fighters and their leaders
have moved into the Central African Republic, dashing hopes of a
renewal of stalled peace talks.
(AP, 2/23/07)
2007 Mar 3, CAR rebel and
government military sources said rebels in the Central African
Republic have attacked the northeastern town of Birao, which they
had occupied for a month in November.
(AFP, 3/3/07)
2007 Mar 4, In the Central
African Republic French fighter jets destroyed several rebel
vehicles in retaliation for an attack on French troops.
(AP, 3/4/07)
2007 Mar 6, Central African
Republic forces (FACA) peacefully took back control of the airfield
at Birao that they had abandoned following rebel attacks at the
weekend.
(AFP, 3/6/07)
2007 Apr 4, The United Nations
children's agency called for urgent action to tackle a "humanitarian
disaster" in the Central African Republic (CAR), affected by
conflict for the past ten years.
(AP, 4/4/07)
2007 Apr 13, A leading rebel in
the Central African Republic said he would be signing a peace deal
with President Francois Bozize in the northeastern town of Birao.
(AP, 4/13/07)
2007 Apr 26, Six central
African countries (Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, Central African
Republic, Cameroon and Congo) plan to launch a common passport in
July, permitting the free movement of goods and people across their
borders.
(AFP, 4/26/07)
2007 May 14, In the Central
African Republic the president's office said several former armed
rebels have surrendered to the authorities over the past few days in
the troubled north.
(AP, 5/14/07)
2007 May 18, UN officials said
rebel leaders in the Central African Republic have agreed to begin
sending several hundred child soldiers home to their families.
(AP, 5/18/07)
2007 May 19, Two local health
workers were kidnapped for ransom in the Central African Republic
(CAR), prompting UN concerns that worsening security was hampering
aid work there.
(AFP, 5/23/07)
2007 May 22, The International
Criminal Court prosecutor announced a war crimes investigation into
hundreds of rapes and other violations in the Central African
Republic in 2002 and 2003. The UN condemned the capture of two aid
workers in the north-west of the CAR, saying the worsening security
was hampering its humanitarian work in the country.
(AP, 5/22/07)
2007 May 30, In the northwest
corner of Central African Republic soldiers set fire to hundreds of
houses in retaliation for the killing of a local official by
unidentified gunmen. The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates that
about 420 children die each week, and that escalating conflict
between the CAR government and rebel groups has forced some 212,000
people to flee their homes in recent years.
(AFP, 6/4/07)
2007 Jun 1, The UN refugee
agency said hundreds of women and children fled by foot and on
donkeys from Darfur to the neighboring Central African Republic
after their town was attacked by planes and helicopters. The
refugees said their town of Dafak, in southern Darfur, was attacked
repeatedly by janjaweed militia from May 12 to May 18 and that their
homes had been bombarded by airstrikes.
(AP, 6/1/07)
2007 Jun 6, The CAR government
freed 17 people who had been arrested for rebel activities,
following the terms of a peace accord that aims to return the
restive nation to stability after more than a year of sporadic
insurgency.
(AP, 6/6/07)
2007 Jun 11, In the Central
African Republic a French aid worker for Doctors Without Borders was
shot and killed while traveling to a town grappling with poor health
conditions.
(AP, 6/11/07)
2007 Jun 17, CAR state radio
said former rebels in the Central African Republic have signed a
pact with the UN children's agency for the demobilization of
hundreds of child soldiers.
(AP, 6/17/07)
2007 Jul 23, The European Union
took the first step towards sending forces to Chad and the Central
African Republican to help the United Nations protect refugees
trapped in the violent region bordering Darfur.
(AP, 7/23/07)
2007 Sep 14, Human Rights Watch
said that soldiers in the Central African Republic (CAR) have
massacred hundreds of people and burned villages, forcing civilians
to flee, during a counter-insurgency campaign. The watchdog group
blamed President Francois Bozize's elite guard for atrocities
carried out since mid-2005, but said other military units, their
rebel foes and bandit groups were also guilty.
(AFP, 9/14/07)
2007 Sep 19, President Francois
Bozize of the Central African Republic (CAR) dubbed as "grotesque"
allegations from Human Rights Watch that his army was guilty of
various abuses against civilians in the country.
(AP, 9/19/07)
2007 Sep 25, The UN Security
Council unanimously passed a French resolution endorsing sending a
European Union-UN force to Chad and the Central African Republic to
protect civilians reeling from a spillover of the Darfur conflict.
(AP, 9/25/07)
2007 Oct 15, European Union
foreign ministers gave their final approval to deploy a 3,000-strong
EU peacekeeping force for one year to help refugees and displaced
people living along Darfur's borders with Chad and the Central
African Republic.
(AP, 10/15/07)
2008 Jan 11, Belgium, France
and Poland pledged to provide the resources needed to launch a
European Union peacekeeping force for Chad and the Central African
Republic.
(AP, 1/11/08)
2008 Jan 18, Central African
Republic PM Elie Dote tendered his resignation and that of his
government. His resignation came amid a social crisis gripping the
country, marked by government disruptions and near-paralysis in
public schools due to a civil servant strike over salaries launched
earlier this month.
(AFP, 1/18/08)
2008 Jan 26, According to the
Int’l. Crisis Group, a Brussels-based lobby, the CAR has dropped
below the level even of a failed state.
(Econ, 1/26/08, p.46)
2008 Jan 28, The EU launched
its long-awaited peacekeeping force for Chad and the Central African
Republic to help protect hundreds of thousands of refugees from
strife-torn Darfur.
(AFP, 1/28/08)
2008 Jan, The population of
Chad was about 4 million. Bandits known as Zaraguina, mostly from
Chad, were reported to be looting, kidnapping and demanding
thousands of dollars in ransom for local cattle herders from the
Peuhl tribe.
(Econ, 1/26/08, p.47)
2008 Feb 26, The mayor of Koui,
a town in northwest Central African Republic (CAR), was abducted
along with four other people. 3 captives including the mayor were
later killed. 2 captives were released by ransom.
(AFP, 3/14/08)
2008 Mar 5, In Central African
Republic rebels killed five government soldiers and lost one of
their own men in 2 days of clashes near the country's northwestern
border with Chad.
(Reuters, 3/7/08)
2008 Mar 15, Qatar-based
investment company IAS International said it was undertaking a
series of development projects in Central African Republic worth 1.6
billion dollars.
(AP, 3/15/08)
2008 Mar 17, An EU force of
3,700 troops still deploying in Chad and the Central African
Republic (CAR) announced the official start of its year-long mission
to protect refugees and displaced people. The EU force in Chad was
known as EUFOR, and the UN Mission there and the CAR was called
MINURCAT.
(AFP, 3/17/08)(Econ, 5/31/08, p.52)
2008 Mar 19, Uganda said that
Lord's Resistance Army rebel leader Joseph Kony has left his base in
the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and moved to the Central
African Republic.
(AP, 3/19/08)
2008 Mar 28, Jean-Jacques
Demafouth, an exiled former defense minister in the Central African
Republic, said that he had been elected head of the main rebel group
and would lead it into peace talks. The UN said rebel fighters
attacked CAR villages between Feb 9 and Mar 10 raping women and
taking 150 hostages, including 55 children.
(AFP, 3/28/08)
2008 May 9, The government of
Central African Republic (CAR), plagued by unrest since 2005, and
the country's main rebel group signed a ceasefire and peace accord
to take effect immediately.
(AFP, 5/9/08)
2008 May 24, Belgian police in
Brussels arrested Jean-Pierre Bemba (45), a Congolese warlord and
ex-presidential candidate, after he was secretly charged with rape
and torture. Bemba was accused of war crimes and crimes against
humanity as head of a militia that allegedly committed atrocities in
Central African Republic's conflict in 2002-2003.
(AP, 5/25/08)
2008 Aug 16, Authorities in the
Central African Republic gave the green light for a leading rebel
group headed by a former defense minister to form a political party.
Both the rebel group and the new NAP party are headed by former
defense minister Jean-Jacques Demafouth, currently in exile in
France.
(AFP, 8/16/08)
2008 Sep 11, A Paris court
convicted Didier Bourguet, a former UN employee, for the rape of
young Africans during his postings in Central African Republic and
Congo. Bourguet was sentenced to nine years in prison for having
committed about 20 rapes of teenage girls between 1998 and 2004
during his postings as a mechanic for the UN.
(AP, 9/11/08)
2008 Sep 29, The parliament of
the Central African Republic (CAR) adopted an amnesty law aimed at
laying the foundations for a process of "inclusive political
dialogue" between the government and rebels.
(AFP, 9/30/08)
2008 Nov 11, At least 13
soldiers were killed in an ambush by rebels at Kabo, near the
Central African Republic's border with Chad, 400 kilometers (250
miles) north of Bangui.
(AFP, 11/12/08)
2008 Dec 7, Former Central
African Republic president Ange-Felix Patasse arrived in Bangui
after 5 years in exile in Togo to participate in long-delayed peace
talks in the troubled country.
(AFP, 12/8/08)
2008 Dec 20, Central African
Republic peace talks wrapped up with rebels and government officials
expressing hope that the meeting had paved the way for lasting
solutions to the country's unrest.
(AP, 12/20/08)
2009 Jan 12, War crimes
prosecutors in The Hague accused former Congolese vice president
Jean-Pierre Bemba of using systematic rape to terrorize civilians
suspected of supporting rebels during a bloody power struggle in
neighboring Central African Republic.
(AP, 1/12/09)
2009 Jan 14, The UN Security
Council authorized 5,200 UN peacekeepers to replace a 3,300-strong
EU force in Chad and Central African Republic, which have been
seriously affected by fighting in neighboring Sudan's Darfur region.
(AP, 1/14/09)
2009 Jan 18, Central African
Republic President Francois Bozize dissolved the government, after
pledging to form a unity government at recent peace talks.
(AFP, 1/18/09)
2009 Jan 19, CAR President
Francois Bozize reappointed Faustin-Archange Touadera as prime
minister of Central African Republic, just a day after the president
dissolved the government.
(AP, 1/19/09)
2009 Jan 20, The Central
African Republic's main opposition grouping said it refused to join
PM Faustin-Archange Touadera's government because he failed to play
by allegedly established rules.
(AFP, 1/20/09)
2009 Jan 30, In Libreville,
Gabon, leaders of the six Central African states (Cameroon, Chad,
Gabon, CAR, Congo, Equatorial Guinea), began meeting to discuss
closer economic ties, including the creation of a new regional
airline. The Economic and Monetary Union of Central Africa, known as
CEMAC, planned discussions on such issues as monetary reform and the
free movement of citizens.
(AFP, 1/30/09)
2009 Feb 14, Over 6,000 people
have fled the Ndele region of the Central African Republic for a
Chadian border village after violence erupted between two ethnic
groups, the Runga and the Gulus.
(AFP, 2/14/09)
2009 Mar 15, In Abeche, Chad,
UN forces took over command from EU peacekeepers to protect refugees
and displaced people in Chad and the Central African Republic.
(AFP, 3/15/09)
2009 Apr 12, In the Central
African Republic at least 22 people died as cattle farmers and
traders clashed over stolen oxen with guns, blades and arrows.
Fighting was sparked by a dispute over 170 oxen stolen by bandits 10
days earlier but later retrieved.
(AFP, 4/12/09)(AFP, 4/14/09)
2009 Apr 14, In northwest
Central African Republic Soule Garga, a top representative of cattle
breeders, was been killed by rebels, just days after a poaching
bloodbath left 22 people dead.
(AFP, 4/15/09)
2009 Apr 17, President Francois
Bozize of the Central African Republic accused some officials in his
Kwa na Kwa Convergence party of racketeering to obtain funds and
pledged a personal crackdown.
(AFP, 4/17/09)
2009 Jun 6, In Central African
Republic at least two people were killed and several wounded in an
attack on a military base. Residents later said ethnic clashes left
at least 27 people dead at a Birao military base, where former
rebels were set to demobilize under a peace accord.
(AFP, 6/7/09)(AFP, 6/11/09)
2009 Jun 11, The ICRC said
armed men have killed a local employee of the International
Committee of the Red Cross at Birao in the north of the Central
African Republic.
(AFP, 6/11/09)
2009 Jun 12, In the Central
African Republic 15 rebels of the Convention of Patriots for Justice
and Peace (CPJP) and 3 soldiers were killed in fighting in the
northwest of the country.
(AFP, 6/17/09)
2009 Jun 21, In northeastern
Central African Republic 10 people were killed in an attack on the
town of Birao. A UFDR spokesman said armed men attacked a base of
the former rebels of the Union of Democratic Forces for the Rally,
two weeks after a similar attack. They were described as "thieves"
from the Kara tribe, an ethnic minority within the UFDR, whose
members oppose the leadership of Zakaria Damane, head of the
movement.
(AFP, 6/22/09)
2009 Jun, In the Central
African Republic former prime minister Martin Ziguele was invested
as the MLPC's presidential candidate for elections that were
initially due in April 2010.
(AFP, 9/25/10)
2009 Aug 1, Humanitarian groups
said members of the Lord's Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel group,
have launched attacks against towns in the Central African Republic
that have left at least 10 people dead in the last two weeks. The
attacks by the LRA, launched from its rear bases in the Democratic
Republic of Congo, have also forced hundreds of people to flee their
villages.
(AFP, 8/2/09)
2009 Aug 17, The Central
African Republic’s Communications Minister Cyriaque Gonda said on
state radio that the government has set a three-year timetable to
disarm, demobilize and reintegrate former rebels.
(AFP, 8/17/09)
2009 Sep 8, Uganda’s defense
spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Felix Kulayigye, said Ugandan troops
have crossed into the neighboring Central African Republic (CAR) in
pursuit of Lord's Resistance Army rebels with Bangui's blessing.
(AFP, 9/8/09)
2009 Sep 9, A Uganda army
spokesman said government forces have rescued 100 kidnapped children
and young adults during an operation against the Lord’s Resistance
Army rebel group in neighboring Central African Republic.
(AP, 9/9/09)
2009 Sep 12, Uganda’s army
killed five rebels in the CAR, including Arit Santos, a commander of
the LRA insurgent group. Soldiers also seized 24 sub-machineguns,
several rounds of ammunition, medicine and laptop computers in the
operation.
(AFP, 9/14/09)
2009 Sep 24, In the Central
African Republic 2 local employees of the Italian Coopi NGO were
killed when Lord's Resistance Army rebels attacked their vehicle.
(AFP, 9/25/09)
2009 Oct 22, The Red Cross said
more than 4,500 people have fled attacks by the Ugandan rebel group
Lord's Resistance Army in the Central African Republic.
(AFP, 10/22/09)
2009 Oct 30, Ange-Felix
Patasse, the former president of the Central African Republic
(1999-2003), returned home after more than six years in exile. He
planned to stand in the 2010 presidential elections.
(AFP, 10/30/09)
2009 Nov 17, Ugandan forces
shot and killed Okello Okutti, a senior commander of the rebel
Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), during a clash in Obo, near the
Central African Republic's eastern border with Sudan.
(AFP, 11/19/09)
2009 Nov 22, In the northeast
of Central African Republic 2 French aid workers in Birao were
kidnapped by a gang of armed men, close to the border with Sudan.
Olivier Denis and Olivier Frappe wee freed on March 14, 2010, in
Darfur.
(AFP, 11/24/09)(AFP, 3/14/10)
2009 Nov 26, In the Central
African Republic the rebel Convention of Patriots for Justice and
Peace (CPJP) claimed they had taken control of the key north central
town of Ndele after an attack. The rebels said three of their men
had been killed, four were wounded, and that about a dozen soldiers
were killed. The CPJP is led by Charles Massi, who was a prime
minister under Ange-Felix Patasse, the president toppled in a
bloodless coup by Bozize in 2003.
(AFP, 11/26/09)
2009 Nov 27, The army in the
Central African Republic retook control of the key north central
town of Ndele from rebels.
(AFP, 11/28/09)
2009 Dec 7, Government forces
in the Central African Republic attacked rebel positions near the
border with Chad to prevent them from storming a key northern town.
Several fighters from the rebel Convention of Patriots for Justice
and Peace (CPJP) were reported killed as well as 2 government
soldiers.
(AFP, 12/9/09)
2010 Jan 1, Ugandan troops
killed Bok Abudema, a leader of the Lord's Resistance Army,
effectively the number two of the brutal militia, in the Central
African Republic.
(AFP, 1/2/10)
2010 Jan 8, Charles Massi (57)
a former minister and head of the rebel Convention of Patriots for
Justice and Peace (CPJP), died following the torture he was
subjected to.
(AFP, 1/16/10)
2010 Jan 9, In the Central
African Republic the wife of Charles Massi (57), head of the only
rebel group in the CAR still fighting the government, said that he
has been captured and is in a critical condition in jail. The former
prime minister lead the rebel Convention of Patriots for Justice and
Peace (CPJP). On Jan 16 Denise Massi and his party said in a
statement that Massi has been dead since Jan 8 after being subjected
to torture.
(AFP, 1/9/10)(AFP, 1/16/10)
2010 Jan 15, Opposition parties
in the Central African Republic announced that they were quitting
the electoral process and demanded the resignation of the head of
the Independent Electoral Commission. The walkout involved 15 of the
30 members of the commission, which was set up in August to organize
and supervise elections at dates yet to be announced.
(AFP, 1/15/10)
2010 Feb 7, Andre Kolingba
(73), former Central African Republic general and coup leader
(1981-1993), died in Paris.
(SFC, 5/22/96,
p.A9)(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Kolingba)(AFP, 2/8/10)
2010 Feb 19, In the Central
African Republic rebels of Uganda’s Lord's Resistance Army
(LRA) kidnapped at least 40 people and wounded a soldier
during an attack in the southwest.
(AFP, 2/22/10)
2010 Feb 28, In the Central
African Republic Uganda's rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)
kidnapped at least 23 people from the southeastern village of
Yalinga after pillaging the police station, the hospital and a
safari shop.
(AFP, 3/3/10)
2010 Mar 21, In the eastern
Central African Republic Ugandan Lord's Resistance Army rebels
killed at least 10 civilians in the village of Agoumar, including a
woman burnt alive. One LRA rebel was killed by the villagers.
(Reuters, 3/22/10)(AFP, 3/30/10)
2010 Mar 28, In Central Africa
LRA elements were chased by the Ugandan army, which killed at least
15 rebels in the village of Dembia. More than 40 people were
abducted from the three villages including in Bangassou, where about
400 people had taken refuge from the fighting.
(AFP, 3/30/10)
2010 Apr 2, In northeastern
Central African Republic troops killed 10 rebels in a clash in the
region of Ndele. Teachers there were protesting the murder of a
pregnant teacher killed on March 30 by members of the Convention of
Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP), which was behind the attack
on the march. The Association of Residents of Upper Mbomou
(Assoredehmbo), grouping people in three eastern CAR districts, said
that the number of local people kidnapped by the LRA was more than
400, while the number killed in rebel attacks was more than 200
since February 2008. In an open letter to PM Faustin-Archange
Touadera the group recommended the forming of self-defense militias
and urged the government to set up an army base.
(AFP, 4/2/10)(AFP, 4/5/10)
2010 Apr 16, Officials in the
Central African Republic said armed attackers have shot dead a
soldier escorting electoral commission staff.
(AFP, 4/17/10)
2010 Apr 29, The president of
the Central African Republic scrapped plans to hold polls May 16
after the elections commission told him it would be unable to
organize them in time.
(AFP, 4/29/10)
2010 May 5, In the east of the
Central African Republic 2 people were killed and two wounded in an
attack on an aid vehicle blamed on Uganda's rebel Lord's Resistance
Army (LRA).
(AFP, 5/8/10)
2010 May 10, The Central
African Republic's parliament voted to extend President Francois
Bozize’s mandate until presidential and legislative elections can be
held.
(AFP, 5/10/10)
2010 May 14, In eastern Central
African Republic villagers at Guerekindo killed two Ugandan rebels
of the Lord's Resistance Army in a self-defense initiative.
(AFP, 5/17/10)
2010 May 25, Chad's government
succeeded in forcing a 3,300-strong UN peacekeeping force operating
in Chad and the Central African Republic to pull out by the end of
this year. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization warned
that a dramatic shortfall in donations for Chad's agriculture relief
puts 2 million people at risk of hunger.
(AP, 5/25/10)
2010 Jun 15, A Uganda army
spokesman said at least 10 Ugandan soldiers were killed last month
while pursuing Lord's Resistance Army rebels in the Central African
Republic (CAR). Lt. Colonel Felix Kulayigye said an unknown Sudanese
militia, not the LRA, was the likely culprit.
(AFP, 6/15/10)
2010 Jul 4, In the Central
African Republic Ugandan LRA rebels killed four people and took six
hostages in an attack on the village of Mandabazouma.
(AFP, 7/8/10)
2010 Jul 5, The Central African
Republic said it has called on the United States for military
support to help "neutralize" LRA rebels terrorizing the country.
(AFP, 7/5/10)
2010 Jul 19, The army in the
Central African Republic claimed control of the northern town of
Birao, following an attack by rebels on its military base there. At
least 3 people were killed.
(AFP, 7/19/10)(AFP, 7/20/10)
2010 Aug 11, In the Central
African Republic the local Red Cross said floods have killed three
people and left more than a thousand homeless in the country's
north.
(AFP, 8/11/10)
2010 Sep 6, In the Central
African Republic rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) began a
2-day attack the town of Ouandda Djalle. 16 people were killed
including two civilians, and 5 rebels.
(AFP, 9/9/10)
2010 Sep 11, In Sudan a rare
three-day meeting of 30 religious and community leaders as well as
local government officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC), south Sudan, the Central African Republic (CAR) and Uganda
criticized the "lack of a coordinated and comprehensive strategy" to
tackle the LRA rebels.
(AFP, 9/11/10)
2010 Sep 24, The Central
African Republic's government in a broadcast statement accused main
opposition leader and former prime minister Martin Ziguele of
heading a rebel movement.
(AFP, 9/25/10)
2010 Oct 4, Central African
Republic government troops regained control of Yalinga, a town held
by rebels since September 18. On Oct 6 a spokesman for the rebel
group, the Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP),
claimed its fighters still held the town in the unstable east of the
country.
(AFP, 10/6/10)
2010 Oct 10, In the Central
African Republic rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) abducted
a number of girls during an attack on the town of Birao. at
least 5 people were taken by the rebels, who retreated when
government troops arrived on the scene.
(AFP, 10/13/10)
2010 Oct 15, Adrian Edwards,
the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said the rebels of the Lord's
Resistance Army have killed at least 2,000 people and forced 400,000
to flee in three countries in less than two years. A UNHCR
communique documented a mounting "campaign of terror against
civilians" in the DR Congo, South Sudan and the CAR.
(AFP, 10/15/10)
2010 Oct 29, In the Central
African Republic rebels of the Convention of Patriots for Justice
and Peace (CPJP) abducted 21 census agents updating voters' rolls
for forthcoming elections.
(AFP, 10/30/10)
2010 Nov 14, In the Central
African Republic soldiers opened fire to disperse angry
demonstrators protesting the death of a youth, wounding at least
three people.
(AFP, 11/14/10)
2010 Nov 24, In the Central
African Republic rebels killed four soldiers and captured an unknown
number of troops in an attack on Birao, the main town of northern
CAR.
(AFP, 11/25/10)
2010 Nov 26, The Central
African Republic government announced its forces had retaken Birao,
captured by rebels in a deadly assault two days earlier, but the
rebels said they were still in control.
(AFP, 11/26/10)
2010 Nov 30, Chad's army said
it has entered the northwest part of neighboring Central African
Republic and pushed out a group of rebels that had attempted to take
the town of Birao.
(AP, 12/1/10)
2010 Dec 1, Central African
Republic President Francois Bozize said Jean-Bedel Bokassa (d.1996),
the former self-styled "emperor" who was overthrown in 1979, is
"rehabilitated in all his rights" in a decree published to coincide
with the country's 50th anniversary celebrations.
(AP, 12/1/10)
2010 Dec 2, A CAR spokesman
said 71 people, including 65 rebels, were killed last week in
clashes between insurgents and government troops in northeastern
Central African Republic.
(AFP, 12/2/10)
2011 Jan 23, Voting began in
the Central African Republic for presidential and parliamentary
polls, with incumbent President Francois Bozize tipped to retain
power amid charges of fraud. On Feb 1 provisional results said
Francois Bozize re-elected to a 2nd term as president with 66% of
the vote.
(AFP, 1/23/11)(AP, 2/2/11)
2011 Jan 25, In the Central
African Republic 3 of 5 candidates in the presidential elections
said they rejected the results "in advance" and demanded the Jan 23
vote be annulled. Incumbent Francois Bozize has been tipped to win
the vote amidst complaints of irregularities and fraud.
(AFP, 1/25/11)
2011 Jan 29, Rivals to Central
African Republic leader Francois Bozize pulled their representatives
off the election body, alleging fraud after early partial results
from last weekend's poll put Bozize in the lead.
(Reuters, 1/29/11)
2011 Feb 1, In the CAR
provisional results said Francois Bozize has been comfortably
re-elected to a 2nd term as president with 66% of the Jan 23 vote.
By the next day all four rival candidates denounced the result as a
fraud. The independent commission said former president Ange-Felix
Patasse came second with 20.10% of the vote, followed by former
premier Martin Ziguele with 6.46%, Emile Gros-Raymond Nakombo with
4.64% and ex-defense minister Jean-Jacques Demafouth with 2.72%.
(AFP, 2/2/11)
2011 Mar 13, In the Central
African Republic at least six people were killed and dozens abducted
during an attack on Nzako village by Lord's Resistance Army rebels.
They had crossed into the CAR last year after being routed from
their bases in Uganda.
(AFP, 3/15/11)
2011 Mar 27, The Central
African Republic voted in the second round of parliamentary
elections expected to hand President Francois Bozize's party a large
majority because of an opposition boycott. The party of CAR's
president won an overall majority in the run-off legislative
elections, garnering 61 of the 105 seats in parliament, according to
provisional results showed on April 7.
(AFP, 3/27/11)(AFP, 4/7/11)
2011 May 31, In the Central
African Republic violence erupted after the bodies of two children
were discovered in the boot of a car belonging to a Muslim.
(AFP, 6/3/11)
2011 Jun 2, In the Central
African Republic sporadic gunfire was heard overnight in Bangui,
capital of the CAR, but tension slowly eased after two days of
bloodshed targeting Muslims. 11 people were killed including 8
Chadians in violence targeting Muslims in Bangui.
(AFP, 6/2/11)(AFP, 6/3/11)
2011 Jun 12, In the Central
African Republic the last major rebel movement active, the
Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP), signed a
ceasefire with the government that is set to lead to a peace accord.
(AFP, 6/27/11)
2011 Jun 25, Central African
Republic President Francois Bozize launched an operation to disarm
hundreds of rebels at Bocaranga in the northwest.
(AFP, 6/27/11)
2011 Jul 17, The Central
African Republic government and a 500-man breakaway faction of the
country's last active rebel movement, a dissident faction of the
Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP), signed a peace
deal in Nzako.
(AFP, 7/19/11)
2011 Sep 11, In the Central
African Republic clashes between rival armed groups erupted in the
central town of Bria, the country's main diamond mining hub.
(AFP, 9/22/11)
2011 Sep 12, In the Central
African Republic two days of fighting between the rebel Convention
of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP) and former militants of the
Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR) left at least 12 people
dead.
(AFP, 9/13/11)
2011 Sep 20, The UN called for
an immediate truce between rival groups in the Central African
Republic fighting for control over diamond mines.
(AFP, 9/20/11)
2011 Sep 22, A CAR army source
said that a recent outbreak of fighting between rival armed groups
in the Central African Republic vying for control over diamond mines
left 43 dead.
(AFP, 9/22/11)
2011 Sep 25, In the Central
African Republic rebels of the Convention of Patriots for Justice
and Peace (CPJP) attacked a vehicle carrying former rebels of the
Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR) and civilians near Bria,
the country's main diamond mining hub. 7 people were killed
including a senior local official.
(AFP, 9/26/11)
2011 Sep 30, Central African
Republic health minister Jean-Michel Mandaba said a new cholera
epidemic has hit the country and has already claimed at least 10
victims in the south.
(AFP, 9/31/11)
2011 Oct 8, In the Central
African Republic a ceasefire ended fighting that claimed about 50
lives between the rebel Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace
(CPJP) and the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR). The
rebel groups, fighting over diamond mines, signed a peace pact with
the Bangui government ending weeks of deadly violence.
(AFP, 10/9/11)(AFP, 10/18/11)
2011 Oct 17, In the Central
African Republic 2 rebel groups, that signed a cease fire on Oct 8,
said they had left the central town of Bria. One of them asked for
humanitarian aid for civilians.
(AFP, 10/18/11)
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