Patasse, Ange-Felix

Patassé became the first president of the Central African Republic elected through democratic elections (1993), which were held by the regime of President Kolingba under pressure from the UN and other international organizations. He was reelected as president in the 1999 elections .

Nevertheless, during the first term in office ( 1993–1999 ), three military insurrections occurred in 1996–1997 and the conflict between the so-called “northerners” (which included Patassé) and the “southerners” (whom his predecessor Andre Kolingba).

During the second term, he lost the support of many of his longtime allies, as well as France , which intervened to support him during the first term.

To retain power, he resorted to the help of the Libyan leader Gaddafi and the troops of Jean-Pierre Bemba from the DRC. With the suppression of the rebellion Boziza in 2002, he received assistance from Gaddafi on the conditions of providing Libya with a 99-year monopoly of mining diamonds, gold and other minerals in the CAR ^[1] . During the suppression of the same insurrection, the Bemba detachments made serious damage in the capital of CAR, Bangui, and after ousting the detachments, Bozize looted it.

Patassé was overthrown in March 2003 , during his departure for the summit of African states ^[2] and lived in exile in Togo .
He returned to the country in January 2011 to participate in the presidential elections, in which Bozize lost, receiving only 21.4% of the vote ^[3] .

He died on April 5, 2011 in Cameroon ^[4] .