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Central African Republic Leader Dies
By Associated Press
November 21, 2003, 11:41 AM EST
BANGUI, Central African Republic -- David Dacko, the first president of
Central African Republic as an independent nation, has died at the age of 76,
state radio said Friday.
Dacko died in neighboring Cameroon on Thursday, the radio reported, without
stating the exact cause of death. He had been ailing for some time.
Dacko led Central African Republic from its 1960 independence from France
until 1966, when he was overthrown and jailed by the notorious Cold War
despot Jean-Bedel Bokassa.
He was reinstated after French troops deposed Bokassa in 1979, only to be
forced out of power by the country's own military in 1981.
Today, Central African Republic is one of Africa's most turbulent countries,
although some look to the current military ruler, Francois Bozize, to help
bring stability.
An impoverished nation of 3.7 million, it has weathered nine coups and coup
attempts since independence. Bozize himself seized power earlier this year
after his rebels overran the capital, Bangui.
Copyright © 2003, The Associated Press
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