Michel Gbezera-Bria (born 1 January 1946) is a Central African politician and diplomat. He was
Prime Minister of the Central African Republic
This article lists the heads of government of the Central African Republic. There have been twenty-five heads of government of the Central African Republic and the Central African Empire. The office of Prime Minister, the head of government, wa ...
from 1997 to 1999. He is currently the CAR Ambassador to France.
Early life
Gbezera-Bria was born in
Bossangoa
Bossangoa is the capital of Ouham, one of the 14 prefectures of the Central African Republic. The town has a population of 36,478 (2003 census). It is located 303 km (189 mi) north of the country's capital, Bangui. The Ouham River passe ...
on 1 January 1946. He is a member of the Baya ethnic group. He was educated at College Emile Gentil 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 ...
and studied law in
Brazzaville
Brazzaville (, kg, Kintamo, Nkuna, Kintambo, Ntamo, Mavula, Tandala, Mfwa, Mfua; Teke: ''M'fa'', ''Mfaa'', ''Mfa'', ''Mfoa''Roman Adrian Cybriwsky, ''Capital Cities around the World: An Encyclopedia of Geography, History, and Culture'', ABC-CLI ...
. Gbezera-Bria later studied economics at Institut d'administration publique in
Caen
Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Jean Bedel Bokassa named Gbezera-Bria deputy minister of diplomatic and consular delegations and payment of public debt on 9 June 1975. On 4 April 1976, Gbezera-Bria was appointed deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. He became minister of public service, labor, and social security on 14 December 1976, serving until his appointment as
Minister of Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
on 18 April 1977. Gbezera-Bria served as foreign minister until 17 July 1978. Between 1980 and 1987 he was the Central African ambassador to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
. Gbezera-Bria received the award of the CAR merit in January 2012. On 8 January 2015, he was appointed ambassador to France by President
Catherine Samba-Panza
Catherine Samba-Panza (born 26 June 1954) is a Central African lawyer and politician who served as interim President of the Central African Republic from 2014 to 2016. She was the first woman to hold the post of head of state in that country, as ...
. He presented his credentials to French President