October 14, 1946 - François Bozizé
His career traced a recurring arc: service under authoritarian rule, a failed coup attempt, exile, and ultimately a successful seizure of power while the sitting president was abroad. During his decade in office, the Central African Republic experienced deepening instability, and armed groups that gained strength in this period would go on to commit serious atrocities — including mass killings and widespread displacement — after his own ouster in 2013. The conflict his overthrow helped ignite drew international intervention and United Nations peacekeeping forces, with violence continuing well into subsequent years.
From Wikipedia
François Bozizé Yangouvonda (born 14 October 1946) is a Central African politician who was President of the Central African Republic from 2003 to 2013. He was the only Central African president born in modern-day Gabon.
Bozizé rose to become a high-ranking army officer in the 1970s, under the rule of Jean-Bédel Bokassa. After Bokassa was ousted, Bozizé served in the government as Minister of Defense from 1979 to 1981 and as Minister of Information from 1981 to 1982. He participated in a failed 1982 coup attempt against President André Kolingba and subsequently fled the country. Years later, he served as Army Chief of Staff under President Ange-Félix Patassé, but began a rebellion against Patassé in 2001.
Bozizé's forces captured the capital, Bangui, in March 2003, while Patassé was outside the country, and Bozizé took power, ushering in a transitional period of government. He won the March–May 2005 presidential election in a second round of voting, and was re-elected in the January 2011 presidential election, winning the vote in the first round.
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