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International Response
[edit]France's Role
[edit]When Jean-Bedel Bokassa took control of 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[1]" After heavy advising from his Chief of staff,Jacques Foccart, De Gaulle finally met Bokassa in 1969, three years after he came into power.[1] 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 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[2] France intervened with two operations that sought to remove Bokassa from office, the final one being Operation Barracuda.
President Valery Giscard
[edit]Valery Giscard became the president of France in May of 1974[3] where his relationship with Bokassa was more interactive than previous administrations. During his firs visit to the country in 1970 Bokassa presented him diamonds and ivory carvings.[4] Giscard advised Bokassa to avoid a ceremony to the scale of Napolean due to the Central African Empires financial situation. Giscard did congratulate Bokassa on the transition to Empire. Their relationship made news on October 10th, 1979 when a newspaper named the Canard Enchaine broke a story about Bokassa giving thirty carats of diamonds to Giscard and accused him of giving Giscard a plethora of gifts on his visits to the empire, these included elephant tusks, ivory carved objects as well as precious stones.[4] This scandal was later called "diamondgate"[4]or the Diamonds Affair. This scandal later led to Giscard losing the presidency in the 1981 elections.[5]
Operation Barracuda
[edit]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[6]. France severed ties with Bokassa, and began to plan his excommunication when the emperor began working with Muammar Gaddafi[1], a Libyan politician. Operation Barracuda entailed French soldiers entering the Central African Republic[7] while Bokassa was on a trip to Libya and instating David Dacko, who had been exiled to paris[8] as the new leader. France cut off all humanitarian aid for media presence and then later sent French troops into Bangui, the nations capital, to install David Dacko as the new leader.[8] Leaders from Chad, The Congo (then Zaire) all agreed to Operation Barracuda.[8] This operation's success effectively ended the Central African Empire and reintroduced the Central African Republic.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Carayannis, Tatiana, éditeur intellectuel. Lombard, Louisa, éditeur intellectuel. Making sense of the Central African Republic. ISBN 978-1-78360-381-7. OCLC 1004968881.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Melly, Paul (2013-12-02). "Why is France sending troops to Africa again?". Retrieved 2019-12-04.
- ^ "Valéry Giscard d'Estaing | president of France". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
- ^ a b c Cartwright, John; Titley, Brian (1998). "Dark Age: The Political Odyssey of Emperor Bokassa". Canadian Journal of African Studies. 32 (2): 433. doi:10.2307/486174. ISSN 0008-3968.
- ^ Reuters (1981-03-11). "France's President Says He Sold Bokassa Jewels". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
{{cite news}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Bokassa Successor Says Dictator Killed Children in April Massacre". The New York Times. 1979-09-24. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-05.
- ^ French, Howard W. (1996-11-04). "Jean-Bedel Bokassa, 75, Ruled The Central African Republic". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
- ^ a b c Baxter, Peter, 1962- (2011). France in Centrafrique : from Bokassa and Operation Barracuda to the days of EUFOR. Helion. ISBN 978-1-907677-37-3. OCLC 751804918.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)