74-659: (Redirected from KEMO ) Kemo may refer to: Kémo River, Central African Republic Kémo , Central African Republic, a prefecture named for the river Possel , a settlement at the river's confluence with the Ubangi River founded as Kémo KEMO-TV , a television station in Santa Rosa, California, United States KOFY-TV , a television station in San Francisco, California, United States, originally KEMO-TV Topics referred to by
148-422: A wet season that lasts from June to September in the northern regions of the country, and from May to October in the south. During the wet season, rainstorms are an almost daily occurrence, and early morning fog is commonplace. Maximum annual precipitation is approximately 1,800 millimetres (71 in) in the upper Ubangi region. The northern areas are hot and humid from February to May, but can be subject to
222-551: A 2018 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 9.28/10, ranking it seventh globally out of 172 countries. In 2008, Central African Republic was the world's least light pollution affected country. The Central African Republic is the focal point of the Bangui Magnetic Anomaly , one of the largest magnetic anomalies on Earth. The climate of the Central African Republic is generally tropical , with
296-730: A U.N. peacekeeping force (MINURCA) . Since 1997, the country has hosted almost a dozen peacekeeping interventions, earning it the title of "world champion of peacekeeping". In 1998, parliamentary elections resulted in Kolingba's RDC winning 20 out of 109 seats. The next year, however, in spite of widespread public anger in urban centers over his corrupt rule, Patassé won a second term in the presidential election. On 28 May 2001, rebels stormed strategic buildings in Bangui in an unsuccessful coup attempt . The army chief of staff, Abel Abrou, and General François N'Djadder Bedaya were killed, but Patassé regained
370-468: A company owned by one of his wives. The government violently suppressed the protests, killing 100 children and teenagers. Bokassa might have been personally involved in some of the killings. In September 1979, France overthrew Bokassa and restored Dacko to power (subsequently restoring the official name of the country and the original government to the Central African Republic). Dacko, in turn,
444-479: A former French colony , French is the official language, with Sango, a Ngbandi based-creole language as the national and co- official language . The Central African Republic mainly consists of Sudano-Guinean savannas , but the country also includes a Sahelo - Sudanian zone in the north and an equatorial forest zone in the south. Two-thirds of the country is within the Ubangi River basin (which flows into
518-401: A massacre of civilians. Between 17 and 19 April, a number of high school students were arrested after they had protested against wearing the expensive, government-required school uniforms; an estimated 100 were killed. Emperor Bokassa personally participated in the massacre, where he was reported beating dozens of children to death with his own cane. The massive press coverage which followed
592-476: A network of roads were built, attempts were made to combat sleeping sickness , and Protestant missions were established to spread Christianity. New forms of forced labour were also introduced and a large number of Ubangians were sent to work on the Congo-Ocean Railway . Through the period of construction until 1934 there was a continual heavy cost in human lives, with total deaths among all workers along
666-592: A new constitution, and announced that he would step down and run for office once the new constitution was approved. In 2004, the Central African Republic Bush War began as forces opposed to Bozizé took up arms against his government. In May 2005, Bozizé won the presidential election, which excluded Patassé, and in 2006 fighting continued between the government and the rebels. In November 2006, Bozizé's government requested French military support to help them repel rebels who had taken control of towns in
740-477: A percentage of their profits into the French treasury. The concessionary companies forced local people to harvest rubber, coffee, and other commodities without pay and held their families hostage until they met their quotas. In 1920, French Equatorial Africa was established and Ubangi-Shari was administered from Brazzaville . During the 1920s and 1930s the French introduced a policy of mandatory cotton cultivation,
814-632: A plane crash on 29 March 1959, his cousin, David Dacko , took control of MESAN. Dacko became the country's first president when the Central African Republic formally received independence from France at midnight on 13 August 1960, a date celebrated by the country's Independence Day holiday. Dacko threw out his political rivals, including Abel Goumba , former Prime Minister and leader of Mouvement d'évolution démocratique de l'Afrique centrale (MEDAC), whom he forced into exile in France. With all opposition parties suppressed by November 1962, Dacko declared MESAN as
SECTION 10
#1732881527388888-510: A power-sharing government. The deal later broke down, and the rebels seized the capital in March 2013 and Bozizé fled the country. Michel Djotodia took over as president. Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye requested a UN peacekeeping force from the UN Security Council and on 31 May former President Bozizé was indicted for crimes against humanity and incitement to genocide. By the end of
962-720: A second round of elections were finally held in 1993, again with the help of the international community coordinated by GIBAFOR, Ange-Félix Patassé won in the second round of voting with 53% of the vote while Goumba won 45.6%. Patassé's party, the Mouvement pour la Libération du Peuple Centrafricain (MLPC) or Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People, gained a plurality (relative majority) but not an absolute majority of seats in parliament, which meant Patassé's party required coalition partners. Patassé purged many of
1036-488: A series of autocratic leaders, including an abortive attempt at a monarchy under the regime of Jean-Bedel Bokassa . By the 1990s, calls for democracy led to the first multi-party democratic elections in 1993. Ange-Félix Patassé became president, but was later removed by General François Bozizé in a 2003 coup . The Central African Republic Bush War began in 2004 and, despite a peace treaty in 2007 and another in 2011, civil war resumed in 2012. The civil war perpetuated
1110-444: A surprise attack against Patassé, who was out of the country. Libyan troops and some 1,000 soldiers of Bemba's Congolese rebel organization failed to stop the rebels and Bozizé's forces succeeded in overthrowing Patassé. François Bozizé suspended the constitution and named a new cabinet, which included most opposition parties. Abel Goumba was named vice-president. Bozizé established a broad-based National Transition Council to draft
1184-714: Is also estimated to be the unhealthiest country as well as the worst country in which to be young. The Central African Republic is a member of the United Nations , the African Union , the Economic Community of Central African States , the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie and the Non-Aligned Movement . The name of the Central African Republic is derived from the country's geographical location in
1258-472: Is argued that the focus of the initial disarmament efforts exclusively on the Seleka inadvertently handed the anti-Balaka the upper hand, leading to the forced displacement of Muslim civilians by anti-Balaka in Bangui and western Central African Republic. On 11 January 2014, Michael Djotodia and Nicolas Tiengaye resigned as part of a deal negotiated at a regional summit in neighboring Chad . Catherine Samba-Panza
1332-565: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Central African Republic The Central African Republic ( CAR ), formerly known as Ubangi-Shari , is a landlocked country in Central Africa . It is bordered by Chad to the north , Sudan to the northeast , South Sudan to the east , the Democratic Republic of the Congo to
1406-625: The Central African Republic , the French president at the time, Charles de Gaulle , did not want to engage with the new leader, refusing to receive him and calling him a "bloody idiot." After heavy advising from his chief of staff, Jacques Foccart , De Gaulle finally met Bokassa in 1969, three years after he came into power. After Charles De Gaulle died and Georges Pompidou exited office, Valery Giscard d'Estaing took office in 1974. Giscard d'Estaing and Bokassa engaged in correspondence and with Giscard d'Estaing's administration, France and
1480-498: The Congo ), while the remaining third lies in the basin of the Chari , which flows into Lake Chad . What is today the Central African Republic has been inhabited since at least 8,000 BCE. The country's borders were established by France, which ruled the country as a colony starting in the late 19th century. After gaining independence from France in 1960, the Central African Republic was ruled by
1554-599: The Free French Forces in Bangui . In 1946 Barthélemy Boganda was elected with 9,000 votes to the French National Assembly , becoming the first representative of the Central African Republic in the French government. Boganda maintained a political stance against racism and the colonial regime but gradually became disheartened with the French political system and returned to the Central African Republic to establish
SECTION 20
#17328815273881628-639: The Movement for the Social Evolution of Black Africa ( Mouvement pour l'évolution sociale de l'Afrique noire , MESAN) in 1950. In the Ubangi-Shari Territorial Assembly election in 1957, MESAN captured 347,000 out of the total 356,000 votes and won every legislative seat, which led to Boganda being elected president of the Grand Council of French Equatorial Africa and vice-president of
1702-573: The Peace Corps evacuated all its volunteers to neighboring Cameroon. To date, the Peace Corps has not returned to the Central African Republic. The Bangui Agreements , signed in January 1997, provided for the deployment of an inter-African military mission, to the Central African Republic and re-entry of ex-mutineers into the government on 7 April 1997. The inter-African military mission was later replaced by
1776-586: The Treaty of Fez , France ceded a nearly 300,000 km portion of the Sangha and Lobaye basins to the German Empire which ceded a smaller area (in present-day Chad ) to France. After World War I France again annexed the territory. Modeled on King Leopold 's Congo Free State , concessions were doled out to private companies that endeavored to strip the region's assets as quickly and cheaply as possible before depositing
1850-767: The fall of the Berlin Wall , a pro-democracy movement arose. Pressure from the United States, France, and from a group of locally represented countries and agencies called GIBAFOR (France, the US, Germany, Japan, the EU, the World Bank , and the United Nations ) finally led Kolingba to agree, in principle, to hold free elections in October 1992 with help from the UN Office of Electoral Affairs. After using
1924-595: The Central African Empire became close allies. When Bokassa declared that he was going to be hosting a coronation for himself as the emperor of the new Central African Empire, many of the novelties that attributed to the luxurious event came from France. This included an imperial crown as well as a golden throne in the shape of an eagle. After various allegations against Bokassa including the beating of school children as well as cannibalism, France intervened with two operations that sought to remove Bokassa from office,
1998-499: The Central African Republic and replaced it with the Central African Revolutionary Council. On 4 December 1976, at the ruling MESAN party congress, Bokassa instituted a new constitution, converted back to Roman Catholicism after briefly converting to Islam earlier in the year, and declared the country to be a monarchy. He had himself crowned Emperor of Central Africa on 4 December 1977. Bokassa's full title
2072-540: The Central African Republic is among the ten poorest countries in the world, with the lowest GDP per capita at purchasing power parity in the world as of 2017. As of 2022 , according to the Human Development Index (HDI), the country had the third-lowest level of human development, ranking 191 out of 193 countries. The country had the second lowest inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI), ranking 164th out of 165 countries. The Central African Republic
2146-561: The Central African Republic is the world's 44th-largest country . Much of the southern border is formed by tributaries of the Congo River ; the Mbomou River in the east merges with the Uele River to form the Ubangi River , which also comprises portions of the southern border. The Sangha River flows through some of the western regions of the country, while the eastern border lies along
2220-730: The Central African Republic...a 'vassal state' of the Kremlin." The Central African Republic is a landlocked nation within the interior of the African continent. It is bordered by Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo. The country lies between latitudes 2° and 11°N , and longitudes 14° and 28°E . Much of the country consists of flat or rolling plateau savanna approximately 500 metres (1,640 ft) above sea level . In addition to
2294-676: The Fertit Hills in the northeast of the Central African Republic, there are scattered hills in the southwest regions. In the northwest is the Yade Massif, a granite plateau with an altitude of 348 metres (1,143 ft). The Central African Republic contains six terrestrial ecoregions: Northeastern Congolian lowland forests , Northwestern Congolian lowland forests , Western Congolian swamp forests , East Sudanian savanna , Northern Congolian forest-savanna mosaic , and Sahelian Acacia savanna . At 622,984 square kilometres (240,535 sq mi),
Kemo - Misplaced Pages Continue
2368-557: The Kolingba elements from the government and Kolingba supporters accused Patassé's government of conducting a " witch hunt " against the Yakoma. A new constitution was approved on 28 December 1994 but had little impact on the country's politics. In 1996–1997, reflecting steadily decreasing public confidence in the government's erratic behavior, three mutinies against Patassé's administration were accompanied by widespread destruction of property and heightened ethnic tension. During this time (1996),
2442-466: The Libyan leader. Operation Barracuda entailed French soldiers entering the country while Bokassa was on a trip to Libya and instating David Dacko , who had been exiled to Paris, as the new leader. France cut off all humanitarian aid for media presence and then later sent French troops into Bangui , the nation's capital, to install David Dacko as the new leader. Dacko stayed in a hotel in France, where he
2516-522: The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said 417 of the country's 436 mosques had been destroyed, and Muslim women were so scared of going out in public they were giving birth in their homes instead of going to the hospital. On 14 December 2015, Séléka rebel leaders declared an independent Republic of Logone . Presidential elections were held in December 2015. As no candidate received more than 50% of
2590-663: The Ubangi-Shari Government Council. Within a year, he declared the establishment of the Central African Republic and served as the country's first prime minister. MESAN continued to exist, but its role was limited. The Central African Republic was granted autonomy within the French Community on 1 December 1958, a status which meant it was still counted as part of the French Empire in Africa. After Boganda's death in
2664-768: The Western Hemisphere, or to the slave ports and factories along the West and North Africa or South along the Ubangui and Congo rivers. During the 18th century Bandia-Nzakara Azande peoples established the Bangassou Kingdom along the Ubangi River . In the mid 19th century, the Bobangi people became major slave traders and sold their captives to the Americas using the Ubangi river to reach
2738-463: The central region of Africa and its republican form of government. From 1976 to 1979, the country was known as the Central African Empire . During the colonial era, the country's name was Ubangi-Shari ( French : Oubangui-Chari ), a name derived from two major rivers and Central African waterways – Ubangi and Chari . Barthélemy Boganda , the country's first prime minister , favored
2812-520: The coast. In 1875, the Sudanese sultan Rabih az-Zubayr governed Upper-Oubangui, which included present-day Central African Republic. The European invasion of Central African territory began in the late 19th century during the Scramble for Africa . Europeans, primarily the French, Germans , and Belgians , arrived in the area in 1885. France seized and colonized Ubangi-Shari territory in 1894. In 1911 at
2886-499: The country's budget and all of France's aid for that year. Bokassa justified 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. Despite invitations, no foreign leaders attended the event. Many thought Bokassa was insane and compared his egotistical extravagance with that of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin . By January 1979, French support for Bokassa had eroded after riots in Bangui led to
2960-586: The country's northern regions. Though the initial public details of the agreement pertained to logistics and intelligence, by December the French assistance included airstrikes by Dassault Mirage 2000 fighters against rebel positions. The Syrte Agreement in February and the Birao Peace Agreement in April 2007 called for a cessation of hostilities, the billeting of FDPC fighters and their integration with FACA,
3034-462: The country's poor human rights record : it was characterized by widespread and increasing abuses by various participating armed groups, such as arbitrary imprisonment, torture, and restrictions on freedom of the press and freedom of movement. Despite its significant mineral deposits and other resources, such as uranium reserves, crude oil , gold , diamonds , cobalt , lumber , and hydropower , as well as significant quantities of arable land ,
Kemo - Misplaced Pages Continue
3108-480: The country. Some 800 of the country's polling stations, or 14% of the total, were closed due to violence. Three Burundian peacekeepers were killed and an additional two were wounded during the run-up to the election. President Faustin-Archange Touadéra was reelected in the first round of the election in December 2020. Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group have supported President Faustin-Archange Touadéra in
3182-590: The country. On 18 February 2014, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the UN Security Council to immediately deploy 3,000 troops to the country, bolstering the 6,000 African Union soldiers and 2,000 French troops already in the country, to combat civilians being murdered in large numbers. The Séléka government was said to be divided, and in September 2013, Djotodia officially disbanded Seleka, but many rebels refused to disarm, becoming known as ex-Seleka, and veered further out of government control. It
3256-619: The deaths of the students opened the way for a successful coup which saw French troops in Operation Barracuda restore former president David Dacko to power while Bokassa was away in Libya meeting with Gaddafi on 20 September 1979. Bokassa's overthrow by the French government was called "France's last colonial expedition" by veteran French diplomat and regime change architect Jacques Foccart . François Mitterrand refused to have France intervene in this manner again. Operation Barracuda began
3330-588: The diet; they were also used in the production of alcoholic beverages . Production of copper , salt , dried fish , and textiles dominated the economic trade in the Central African region. In the 16th and 17th centuries, slave traders began to raid the region as part of the expansion of the Saharan and Nile River slave routes. Their captives were enslaved and shipped to the Mediterranean coast, Europe, Arabia,
3404-456: The domestication of African oil palm improved the groups' nutrition and allowed for expansion of the local populations. This agricultural revolution, combined with a "Fish-stew Revolution", in which fishing began to take place and the use of boats, allowed for the transportation of goods. Products were often moved in ceramic pots. The Bouar Megaliths in the western region of the country indicate an advanced level of habitation dating back to
3478-465: The edge of the Nile River watershed . It has been estimated that up to 8% of the country is covered by forest, with the densest parts generally located in the southern regions. The forests are highly diverse and include commercially important species of Ayous , Sapelli , and Sipo . The deforestation rate is about 0.4% per annum, and lumber poaching is commonplace. The Central African Republic had
3552-407: The excuse of alleged irregularities to suspend the results of the elections as a pretext for holding on to power, President Kolingba came under intense pressure from GIBAFOR to establish a "Conseil National Politique Provisoire de la République" (Provisional National Political Council, CNPPR) and to set up a "Mixed Electoral Commission", which included representatives from all political parties. When
3626-529: The fears of widespread violence were ultimately unfounded, and the African Union regarded the elections as successful. Touadéra was sworn in on 30 March 2016. No representatives of the Seleka rebel group or the "anti-balaka" militias were included in the subsequently formed government. After the end of Touadéra's first term, presidential elections were held on 27 December 2020 with a possible second round planned for 14 February 2021. Former president François Bozizé announced his candidacy on 25 July 2020 but
3700-469: The fight against rebels. Russia's Wagner group has been accused of harassing and intimidating civilians. In December 2022, Roger Cohen wrote in The New York Times , " Wagner shock troops form a Praetorian Guard for Mr. Touadéra, who is also protected by Rwandan forces, in return for an untaxed license to exploit and export the Central African Republic's resources" and "one Western ambassador called
3774-615: The final one being Operation Barracuda . Valéry Giscard d'Estaing became the President of France in May 1974, where his relationship with Bokassa was more interactive than previous administrations. During his first visit to the country in 1970, Bokassa presented him with diamonds and ivory carvings. Giscard advised Bokassa to avoid a ceremony on the scale of Napoleon due to the Central African Empire's financial situation; however, though Bokassa ignored Giscard d'Estaing's warning, Giscard d'Estaing
SECTION 50
#17328815273883848-530: The hot, dry, and dusty trade wind known as the Harmattan . The southern regions have a more equatorial climate, but they are subject to desertification , while the extreme northeast regions of the country are a steppe . In the southwest, the Dzanga-Sangha National Park is located in a rain forest area. The country is noted for its population of forest elephants and western lowland gorillas . In
3922-545: The interwar years, was carefully hidden from the French public because it provided evidence of strong opposition to French colonial rule and forced labour. French colonization in Oubangui-Chari is considered to be the most brutal of the French colonial Empire. In September 1940, during the Second World War , pro-Gaullist French officers took control of Ubangi-Shari and General Leclerc established his headquarters for
3996-452: The liberation of political prisoners, the integration of FDPC into government, an amnesty for the UFDR , its recognition as a political party, and the integration of its fighters into the national army. Several groups continued to fight but other groups signed on to the agreement or similar agreements with the government (e.g., UFR on 15 December 2008). The only major group not to sign an agreement at
4070-573: The name "Central African Republic" over Ubangi-Shari, reportedly because he envisioned a larger union of countries in Central Africa . Approximately 10,000 years ago, desertification forced hunter-gatherer societies south into the Sahel regions of northern Central Africa, where some groups settled. Farming began as part of the Neolithic Revolution . Initial farming of white yam progressed into millet and sorghum , and before 3000 BCE
4144-573: The night of 20 September and ended early the next morning. An undercover commando squad from the French intelligence agency SDECE , joined by the 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment led by Colonel Brancion-Rouge, landed by Transall C-160 , and managed to secure Bangui M'Poko International Airport . Upon arrival of two more transport aircraft, a message was sent to Colonel Degenne to come in with eight Puma helicopters and Transall aircraft, which took off from N'Djaména military airport in neighbouring Chad . By 12:30 p.m. on September 21, 1979,
4218-477: The north, the Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park is well-populated with wildlife, including leopards , lions , cheetahs and rhinos , and the Bamingui-Bangoran National Park is located in the northeast of the Central African Republic. The parks have been seriously affected by the activities of poachers, particularly those from Sudan , over the past two decades. Central African Empire The Central African Empire ( French : Empire centrafricain )
4292-592: The official party of the state. On 31 December 1965, Dacko was overthrown in the Saint-Sylvestre coup d'état by Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa , who suspended the constitution and dissolved the National Assembly. President Bokassa declared himself President for Life in 1972 and named himself Emperor Bokassa I of the Central African Empire (as the country was renamed) on 4 December 1976. A year later, Emperor Bokassa crowned himself in an expensive ceremony. In April 1979, young students protested against Bokassa's decree that all school pupils were required to buy uniforms from
4366-425: The pro-French Dacko proclaimed the fall of the Central African Empire. David Dacko remained president until he was overthrown on September 1, 1981, by General André Kolingba . Bokassa died on November 3, 1996, in the Central African Republic. In 2009, Jean-Serge Bokassa , who was seven years old when the Emperor was overthrown, stated his father's reign was "indefensible". When Jean-Bédel Bokassa took control of
4440-410: The railway estimated in excess of 17,000 of the construction workers, from a combination of both industrial accidents and diseases including malaria . In 1928, a major insurrection, the Kongo-Wara rebellion or 'war of the hoe handle', broke out in Western Ubangi-Shari and continued for several years. The extent of this insurrection, which was perhaps the largest anti-colonial rebellion in Africa during
4514-453: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Kemo . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kemo&oldid=1091136274 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Broadcast call sign disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
SECTION 60
#17328815273884588-422: The south , the Republic of the Congo to the southwest , and Cameroon to the west . Bangui is the country's capital and largest city, bordering the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Central African Republic covers a land area of about 620,000 square kilometres (240,000 sq mi). As of 2024, it has a population of 5,357,744, and is in the scene of a civil war , which has been ongoing since 2012. As
4662-436: The time was the CPJP , which continued its activities and signed a peace agreement with the government on 25 August 2012. In 2011, Bozizé was reelected in an election which was widely considered fraudulent. In November 2012, Séléka , a coalition of rebel groups, took over towns in the northern and central regions of the country. These groups eventually reached a peace deal with Bozizé's government in January 2013, involving
4736-523: The upper hand by bringing in at least 300 troops of the Congolese rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba and Libyan soldiers. In the aftermath of the failed coup , militias loyal to Patassé sought revenge against rebels in many neighborhoods of Bangui and incited unrest including the murder of many political opponents. Eventually, Patassé came to suspect that General François Bozizé was involved in another coup attempt against him, which led Bozizé to flee with loyal troops to Chad. In March 2003, Bozizé launched
4810-430: The very late Neolithic Era ( c. 3500–2700 BCE ). Ironwork developed in the region around 1000 BCE. The Ubangian people settled along the Ubangi River in what is today the Central and East Central African Republic while some Bantu people migrated from the southwest of Cameroon . Bananas arrived in the region during the first millennium BCE and added an important source of carbohydrates to
4884-457: The vote, a second round of elections was held on 14 February 2016 with run-offs on 31 March 2016. In the second round of voting, former Prime Minister Faustin-Archange Touadéra was declared the winner with 63% of the vote, defeating Union for Central African Renewal candidate Anicet-Georges Dologuélé , another former Prime Minister. While the elections suffered from many potential voters being absent as they had taken refuge in other countries,
4958-438: The year, there were international warnings of a "genocide" and fighting was largely reprisal attacks on civilians by Seleka's predominantly Muslim fighters and Christian militias called " anti-balaka ". By August 2013, there were reports of over 200,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs). French President François Hollande called on the UN Security Council and the African Union to increase their efforts to stabilize
5032-476: Was "Emperor of Central Africa by the Will of the Central African People, United within the National Political Party, the MESAN" and used the style "His Imperial Majesty". His regalia, lavish coronation ceremony, and regime were largely inspired by Napoleon , who had converted the French First Republic into the First French Empire . The coronation ceremony was estimated to cost his country roughly US$ 20,000,000 ( XAF 12,230,000,000,00 in modern values), one-third of
5106-557: Was again overthrown in a coup by General André Kolingba on 1 September 1981. Kolingba suspended the constitution and ruled with a military junta until 1985. He introduced a new constitution in 1986 which was adopted by a nationwide referendum. Membership in his new party, the Rassemblement Démocratique Centrafricain (RDC), was voluntary. In 1987 and 1988, semi-free elections to parliament were held, but Kolingba's two major political opponents, Abel Goumba and Ange-Félix Patassé , were not allowed to participate. By 1990, inspired by
5180-430: Was elected interim president by the National Transitional Council, becoming the first ever female Central African president. On 23 July 2014, following Congolese mediation efforts, Séléka and anti-balaka representatives signed a ceasefire agreement in Brazzaville . By the end of 2014, the country was de facto partitioned with the anti-Balaka in the southwest and ex-Seleka in the northeast. In March 2015, Samantha Power ,
5254-416: Was established on 4 December 1976 when the then-President of the Central African Republic , Jean-Bédel Bokassa , declared himself Emperor of Central Africa . The empire would fall less than three years later when French and Central African forces overthrew Bokassa and re-established the Central African Republic on 21 September 1979. In September 1976, President Jean-Bédel Bokassa dissolved the government of
5328-550: Was later called "Diamondgate" or the Diamonds Affair scandal which contributed to Giscard d'Estaing losing the presidency in the 1981 elections . Operation Barracuda was initiated in 1979 after the death of several school children after a protest that was shut down with many students imprisoned in Ngaraba. France severed ties with Bokassa, and began to plan his excommunication when the emperor began working with Muammar Gaddafi ,
5402-469: Was rejected by the Constitutional Court of the country, which held that Bozizé did not satisfy the "good morality" requirement for candidates because of an international warrant and United Nations sanctions against him for alleged assassinations, torture and other crimes. As large parts of the country were at the time controlled by armed groups, the election could not be conducted in many areas of
5476-524: Was the first to congratulate Bokassa on the transition to Empire. Their relationship made news on 10 October 1979 when a newspaper named the Le Canard enchaîné broke a story about Bokassa giving thirty carats of diamonds to Giscard d'Estaing and accused him of giving Giscard d'Estaing a plethora of gifts on his visits to the empire. These included elephant tusks, ivory carved objects as well as precious stones estimated to be worth one million francs. This scandal
#387612