Jean-Serge Bokassa (born 25 February 1972) is a Central African politician who has served in the government of the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...

as Minister of the Interior since 2016. Previously he was Minister of Youth, Sports, Arts, and Culture from 2011 to 2013. He is a son of Bokassa I, who ruled the

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 ...

from 1966 to 1979.

Life and career

Born in

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 ...

in 1971, Jean-Serge was a son of Bokassa and Joelle Aziza Eboulia (1955–2001). When his father became Emperor of the

on 4 December 1976, Jean-Serge, along with his siblings, became a Prince with the style Imperial Highness. He was enrolled at a Swiss boarding school when his father was overthrown in 1979. As a result, he was taken out of the school and along with other family members went into exile in

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 nort ...

. The family eventually returned from exile and Jean-Serge was elected to the National Assembly of the Central African Republic. While speaking warmly of his father, saying that he was a loving family man and "a patriot" who was the victim of "character assassination by media", he has described Bokassa's creation of a monarchy as "indefensible". Under President François Bozizé, Bokassa was appointed as Minister of Youth, Sports, Arts, and Culture in April 2011. He served in that post until 2013. In the December 2016 presidential election, he stood unsuccessfully as a presidential candidate; subsequently he backed the candidacy of

Faustin-Archange Touadéra Faustin-Archange Touadéra (; born 21 April 1957) is a Central African politician and academic who has been President of the Central African Republic since March 2016. He previously was Prime Minister of the Central African Republic from Janua ...

for the second round, held in February 2016. Touadéra won the election, and after taking office he appointed Bokassa to the government as Minister of the Interior, Public Security and Territorial Administration on 11 April 2016.Vincent Duhem
"Centrafrique : ce qu’il faut retenir du nouveau gouvernement dévoilé par Touadéra"
''Jeune Afrique'', 13 April 2016 .

Ancestry

References

1971 births Living people Members of the National Assembly (Central African Republic) People from Bangui Government ministers of the Central African Republic Mbaka people House of Bokassa {{CentralAfricanRepublic-politician-stub