Four African countries with the odd history of experiencing December 31 coups

Central African Republic

Jean-Bédel Bokassa was the intriguing leader of the Central African Republic (CAR) following series of coups, the first being a December 31 coup in 1965.

The man Bokassa succeeded, David Dacko, was CAR’s first president. Dacko had led the new country in a time where he tried to assert CAR’s identity aside from their colonial connection to France.

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But this was also the time when the country had not known when to rein in its military capos, some of whom had fought on behalf of France. One of them was Bokassa.

With the support of like-minded soldiers, Bokassa had Dacko arrested in 1965 and then went on state radio to declare that “A new era of equality among all has begun.”