SUMMARY

The Forces of Francois Bozizé was a group that predominantly consisted of dissident soldiers that sought to overthrow the Government of Central African Republic under the rule of President Ange-Félix Patassé. Led by Francois Bozizé, they clashed with government forces between September 2002 until March 2003, when they were able to successfully take over as the government after they captured the capital and overthrew President Patassé (for more information, see Government of Central African Republic - Forces of Francois Bozizé.

The Forces of Francois Bozizé sought to overthrow President Patassé, who they accused of plundering the Central African Republic. They rejected the possibility of having a power change through elections, as this was considered too time-consuming.

Due to allegations regarding Francois Bozizé's, then Army Chief of Staff, involvement in an attempted coup earlier in 2001, led by André Kolingba, Bozizé was dismissed in October. Bozizé refused arrest and as some 300 supporters from the armed forces defected to join his struggle. The group had gained control over the north of Bangui but fled to Chad by November and from there, the forces were able to freely cross the border and launch attacks within the Central African Republic as they were granted asylum by the Government of Chad. From November 2001 to mid-2002, armed incursions from Chad by men loyal to Bozizé occurred continuously, which is why relations between the two neighbours soured considerably and regional actors interfered to prevent a further deterioration of regional security.

During these months it remained unclear to what extent Bozizé and his men actually posed a threat to the CAR regime, as his ambitions remained unknown. However, in September 2002 Bozizé openly vowed to oust President Patassé from power, accusing the president of plundering the country and ruling out the possibility of power change through elections, as this would be too time-consuming.

Although there is no exact figure, it is estimated that Bozizé brought around 300 armed supporters with him when he fled Bangui. Numerous soldiers from the Central African Republic’s government forces, including some that had previously supported the 2001 coup attempt by the Military faction (forces of André Kolingba), defected to join the Forces of Francois Bozizé throughout the year. Some foreign fighters were also reported to have joined the group. By the time the Forces of Francois Bozizé returned to Bangui in 2003, they numbered around 1000 troops. The core 300 estimated supporters of Bozizé were reportedly drawn from the Gbaya ethnic group, specifically from Bozizé’s north-western home region in Central African Republic. Before escaping to Chad, the Forces of Francois Bozizé armed themselves by taking weapons from several government Gendarmerie barracks. They were also reported to have engaged in the killings and rapes of civilians, banditry and widespread looting.

Francois Bozizé was a career army officer who rose through the ranks to become a high-ranking military officer in the 1970s and later became Army Chief of Staff under President Patassé. As well as being a military figure, Bozizé was politically engaged: between 1979 and 1982, Bozizé served as Defense Minister for the Government of Central African Republic until he was reassigned as the Information and Culture Minister in 1981. Bozizé had also been a leader of a pro-Libyan group called Mouvement centrafricain de libération nationale (MCLN) that was founded in 1980, before re-aligning himself with the Mouvement de libération du peuple centrafricain (MLPC) party of Patassé. During the 1980s, he hid in exile but was eventually incarcerated by the Central African Republic authorities for over two years for supporting a coup attempt led by Patassé in 1982. Bozizé was released from prison in 1991 and ran as a candidate in the presidential elections in 1993, which Patassé won. He then served under Patassé’s presidency until he was dismissed from his post in October 2001, after refusing to answer questions regarding his suspected involvement in an earlier coup attempt by the Military faction (forces of André Kolingba) (for more information, see Government of Central African Republic - Military faction (forces of André Kolingba)).

The Forces of Francois Bozizé were supported by the Government of Chad, which gave them asylum and unrestricted access to its territory.