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Operation Barracuda
Operation Barracuda was a military operation by France during 1979-1981, to return to power the former President of the Central African Republic, Mr David Dacko. It followed up Operation Caban of 21 September 1979, a bloodless military operation in which Emperor Bokassa I of the Central African Empire was overthrown. History ''Barracuda'' was led by French Colonel Bernard Degenne, based in N'Djamena (the capital of Chad), who gave the code name ''Barracuda'' to four Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma helicopters and four Transall C-160 transport aircraft, which carried elements of the 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment to the Central African capital of Bangui. At noon, a company of the 3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment from Libreville (the capital of Gabon), was also transported to Bangui. Stephen Smith and Géraldine Faes, ''Bokassa Ier : un empereur français'', Paris, Calmann-Lévy, 2000 . Until November 1979, ''Barracuda'' aimed to protect French citizens in the country an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Central African Empire
From 4 December 1976 to 21 September 1979, the Central African Republic was officially known as the Central African Empire (french: Empire centrafricain), after military dictator (and president at the time) Marshal Jean-Bédel Bokassa declared himself Emperor of Central Africa, and the republic an empire. Bokassa spent the equivalent of over , a third of the country's government annual income, on his coronation ceremony. The monarchy was abolished (the most recent one ruled by an emperor) and the republic was restored on 21 September 1979, when Bokassa was overthrown and replaced with David Dacko, with French support. History Proclamation In September 1976, Bokassa dissolved the government and replaced it with the Central African Revolutionary Council. On 4 December 1976, at the MESAN congress, Bokassa instituted a new constitution, converted back to Roman Catholicism – he had briefly become a Muslim earlier in the year – and declared the republic to be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment
The 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (french: 8e Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine, (8e RPIMa) is an airborne regiment of the French Army. The 8e RPIMa was created on 28 February 1951 and the men wear the red beret. It is part of the 11th Parachute Brigade. The regiment is garrisoned at Castres, France. Current missions of the 8e RPIMa revolve around peacekeeping and assistance to world populations, and in that regard at the service and disposition of NATO or the United Nations directives. The regiment intervenes around the world protecting French interests in and not limited to: Tchad, Lebanon, New Caledonia, Kuwait, Rwanda, Gabon, Kurdistan, Zaïre, Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, RDC, ex-Yugoslavia, Cambodia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Ivory Coast, and Afghanistan. In outremer, the regiment is engaged in operations defending French interests, or countries that are in liaison with France in security missions. In Europe, the regiment is engaged in de ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Central African Republic–France Relations
Central African Republic–France relations are foreign relations between the Central African Republic (CAR) and France. Both nations are members of the Francophonie and the United Nations. History French Colonialism During the Partition of Africa in the 1880s, Belgium, the German Empire and France each competed against each other in order to control territory north of the Ubangi River. In 1903, France named its new colony 'Ubangi-Shari' and in 1910, France incorporated the territory along with four other colonies (French Congo, Gabon, Chad and French Cameroon) into one colonial federation known as the French Equatorial Africa. Initially, the French government leased large parts of land for European companies and forced the local population to gather wild rubber, hunt for ivory and animal skins, and work on plantations. Due to forced exploitation by the French colonial empire, Central African locals began to rebel in the early 20th century. This led to the Kongo-Wara rebellio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1979 In The Central African Republic
Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ''Chiquitita'' to commemorate the event. ** The United States and the People's Republic of China establish full Sino-American relations, diplomatic relations. ** Following a deal agreed during 1978, France, French carmaker Peugeot completes a takeover of American manufacturer Chrysler's Chrysler Europe, European operations, which are based in United Kingdom, Britain's former Rootes Group factories, as well as the former Simca factories in France. * January 7 – Cambodian–Vietnamese War: The People's Army of Vietnam and Vietnamese-backed Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation, Cambodian insurgents announce the fall of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and the collapse of the Pol Pot regime. Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge retreat west to an area ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stephen Smith (journalist)
Stephen William Smith is an American biographer, editor, journalist, and writer. He is a former editor of the French daily newspaper '' Libération'' and the former deputy editor of the foreign desk at ''Le Monde''. For many years he worked as a traveling correspondent for Radio France International and Reuters News Agency in West and Central Africa. Biography Born on October 30, 1956, in Connecticut, Smith studied African law and anthropology at the University of Paris and history, philosophy, and political science at the Free University of Berlin. According to ''La Vie des Idées'', Smith has a PhD in semiotics. After working as a freelance journalist for a few years, Smith joined the staff of ''Libération'' in 1986, replacing Pierre Haski as the paper's Africa Editor. In 2000 he became the Africa Editor for ''Le Monde'', becoming deputy director there two years later. In 2005 he left the paper to return to work as a freelance journalist. Smith is the author of numerous Fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gabon
Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo on the east and south, and the Gulf of Guinea to the west. It has an area of nearly and its population is estimated at million people. There are coastal plains, mountains (the Cristal Mountains and the Chaillu Massif in the centre), and a savanna in the east. Since its independence from France in 1960, the sovereign state of Gabon has had three presidents. In the 1990s, it introduced a multi-party system and a democratic constitution that aimed for a more transparent electoral process and reformed some governmental institutions. With petroleum and foreign private investment, it has the fourth highest HDI in the region (after Mauritius, Seychelles and South Africa) and the fifth highest GDP per capita (PPP) i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Libreville
Libreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon. Occupying in the northwestern province of Estuaire, Libreville is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea. As of the 2013 census, its population was 703,904. The area has been inhabited by the Mpongwe people since before the French acquired the land in 1839. It was later an American Christian mission, and a slave resettlement site, before becoming the chief port of the colony of French Equatorial Africa. By the time of Gabonese independence in 1960, the city was a trading post and minor administrative centre with a population of 32,000. Since 1960, Libreville has grown rapidly and now is home to one-third of the national population. History Various native peoples lived in or used the area that is now Libreville before colonization, including the Mpongwé tribe. French Admiral Louis Edouard Bouët-Willaumez negotiated a trade and protection treaty with the local Mpongwé ruler, Antchoué Komé Rapontcombo (known ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment
The 3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (french: 3e Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine, 3e RPIMa) is an airborne infantry regiment of the French Army. It is heir to the 3rd Colonial Commando Parachute Battalion created in 1948 and the 3rd Colonial Parachute Regiment . The regiment is part of the 11th Parachute Brigade. The battalion filled the ranks with the thousands throughout the various campaign battle courses of dissolutions and reformations. The battalions of this regiment are heir to the 1st Colonial Parachute Commando Demi-Brigade, another heir of the paratroopers of Free France, the Demi-Brigade of the SAS, of the Parachute Choc Groupment Battalions, whose regimental colors was decorated with the Légion d'honneur in July 1954. Creation and different nominations * On January 8, 1948 : creation of the battalion at Vannes. * On November 9, 1948 : administrative creation of the 3rd Colonial Parachute Commando Battalion] (3e BCCP). * On October 1, 1950 : ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bangui
Bangui () (or Bangî in Sango, formerly written Bangi in English) is the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. It was established as a French outpost in 1889 and named after its location on the northern bank of the Ubangi River (french: Oubangui); the Ubangi itself was named from the Bobangi word for the "rapids" located beside the settlement, which marked the end of navigable water north from Brazzaville. The majority of the population of the Central African Republic lives in the western parts of the country, in Bangui and the surrounding area. The city forms an autonomous commune (''commune autonome'') of the Central African Republic which is surrounded by the Ombella-M'Poko prefecture. With an area of , the commune is the smallest high-level administrative division in the country, but the highest in terms of population. it had an estimated population of 889,231. The city consists of eight urban districts (''arrondissements''), 16 groups (''groupement ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Transall C-160
The Transall C-160 is a military transport aircraft, produced as a joint venture between France and Germany. "Transall" is an abbreviation of the manufacturing consortium Transporter Allianz, comprising the companies of Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm, MBB, Aerospatiale, and VFW-Fokker. It was initially developed to meet the requirements for a modern transport aircraft for the French Air and Space Force, French and German Air Forces; export sales were also made to South Africa and to Turkey, as well as a small number to civilian operators. The C-160 remains in service more than 50 years after the type's first flight in 1963. It has provided logistical support to overseas operations and has served in specialist roles such as an aerial refueling tanker, signals intelligence, electronic intelligence gathering, and as a communications platform. The C-160 is going to be replaced in French and German service by the Airbus A400M Atlas, and a small number of Lockheed Martin C-130J Super He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jean-Bédel Bokassa
Jean-Bédel Bokassa (; 22 February 1921 – 3 November 1996), also known as Bokassa I, was a Central African political and military leader who served as the second president of the Central African Republic (CAR) and as the emperor of its successor state, the Central African Empire (CAE), from the Saint-Sylvestre coup d'état on 1 January 1966 until his overthrow in a subsequent coup in 1979. Of this period, Bokassa served about eleven years as president and three years as self-proclaimed Emperor of Central Africa, though the country was still a ''de facto'' military dictatorship. His imperial regime lasted from 4 December 1976 to 21 September 1979. Following his overthrow, the CAR was restored under his predecessor, David Dacko. Bokassa's self-proclaimed imperial title did not achieve international diplomatic recognition. In his trial in absentia, Bokassa was tried and sentenced to death. He returned to the CAR in 1986 and was put on trial for treason and murder. In 1987, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma
The Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma is a four-bladed, twin-engined medium transport/utility helicopter that was designed and originally produced by the French aerospace manufacturer Sud Aviation. It is capable of carrying up to 20 passengers as well as a variety of cargoes, either internally or externally; numerous armaments have also been outfitted to some helicopters. The Puma was originally developed as an all-new design during the mid-1960s in response to a French Army requirement for a medium-sized all-weather helicopter. On 15 April 1965, the first prototype Puma made its maiden flight; the first production helicopter flew during September 1968. Deliveries to the French Army commenced in early 1969; the type quickly proved itself to be a commercial success. Production of the Puma continued into the 1980s under Sub Aviation's successor company Aérospatiale. It was also licensed production, license-produced in Romania as the IAR 330; two unlicensed derivatives, the Denel Rooivalk a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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