|
|
Central African Republic
Quick Overview:
The CAR has been unstable since independence from France in 1960. There have been several coups and a notorious period under a self-declared emperor, Jean-Bedel Bokassa. Bokassa was overthrown in 1979 in a coup led by David Dacko and backed by French commandos based in the country. After just two years in office Dacko was toppled by Andre Kolingba, who eventually allowed multiparty presidential elections and was duly rejected in the first round. Kolingba's successor, Ange-Felix Patasse, has had to contend with serious unrest, which culminated in riots and looting in 1997 by unpaid soldiers. When in that year the French pulled out, there were fears of a power vacuum, so Paris financed a group of French-speaking African countries to create a peacekeeping force. That force was then transformed into the UN Mission to the Central African Republic, or Minurca. In 1999 Patasse beat nine other candidates to become president again. But there were allegations of voter intimidation, ballot-box stuffing and failure to provide enough ballot papers for opposition candidates.
Geography:
Prior to French colonisation of central Africa around the 1880s, many tribes fled to the area in order to escape the slave trade. In 1910 the area known as Ubangi-Chari became incorporated into French Equatorial Africa and turned over to a number of concessionaires who ran their separate fiefdoms as commercial operations with little or no regard for the indigenous people. A number of unsuccessful revolts were launched against the concessionaires until, immediately after World War II, the territory was granted its own assembly and representation in the French National Assembly. Internal self-government followed in 1958 with the leading nationalist politician, Barthélemy Boganda, serving as Prime Minister. Boganda died the following year and it was left to his nephew, David Dacko, to steer the country to full independence in 1960. Following the common practice of the day, Dacko established a one-party state. However, in 1965, with the country facing bankruptcy and political chaos, Dacko was overthrown by army chief Jean-Bedel Bokassa. The already imporished country was further damaged by the disastrous and profligate rule of the self-styled ‘Emperor’ Bokassa. (His 1977 ‘coronation’ alone is estimated to have used up over a quarter of the country’s annual income. The country was renamed the ‘Central African Empire’.) And despite his well-documented abuses, Bokassa was consistently tolerated by the French who continued to wield huge influence over the country. Bokassa was finally deposed in 1979 by Dacko and exiled to France (He returned unexpectedly in 1986 and, after trial, sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.) The country now reverted to its original title but experienced little improvement in its fortunes. The two dominant figures in the country’s recent history have been André Kolingba, another former army commander who took over after ousting Dacko in a 1981 military coup, and Ange-Félix Patassé, who later emerged as Kolingba’s principal opponent. During the 1980s, Kolingba consolidated his rule as leader of the country’s sole legal political party, Rassemblement Démocratique Centrafricain (RDC). In the early 1990s, as democracy swept through Francophone Africa, violent domestic protests and heavy French pressure forced Kolingba to concede the introduction of a multi-party system. Patassé won the first election held under the new democratic constitution in 1993, defeating both Kolingba and Dacko. In December 1998, elections to the National Assembly returned the MLPC as the largest party but short of an absolute majority. In September the following year, Patassé and Kolingba once again competed for the Presidency, and again Patassé won a comfortable victory. The last few years have seen a series of mutinies by army units – mainly protesting over unpaid wages – culminating in May 2001 in an attempted coup orchestrated by Kolingba (backed by units from the Congolese army). After a week of fighting, the Government regained control with the support of troops from Chad and Libya. The presence of the latter confirmed the diminishing influence of the French who, although still providing vital economic and political support, have withdrawn their former garrisons at Bangui and Bouar.
Related Links:
|
News News Headlines |
Offical Sites - |
Country Guides Travel Guide |
Education Information about education provided by the UN |