Ali Darassa

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Ali Darassa Mahamat
Ali Darassa (in purple suit) surrounded by his men in Ngakobo
Born (1978-09-22) 22 September 1978 (age 46)
NationalityNigerian
Other namesAli Daras, Ali Darrassa, Ali, Ali Darassa Mahamant
Military career
AllegianceUnion for Peace in the Central African Republic
Years of service2014-present

Ali Darassa Mahamat (born 22 September 1978),[1] also known as Ali Daras and Ali Ndarass is a Nigerian leader of the Central African rebel group, the Union for Peace in the Central African Republic (UPC), which is dominant around Bambari.[2] He is an ethnic Fula[3] and his UPC is largely Fula. Darassa was the right-hand man of Chadian rebel leader, Abdel Kader Baba-Laddé until Baba-Laddé abandoned his armed struggle in September 2012.[4] The UPC is an Ex-Séléka faction made up of disbanded members of the former rebel coalition known as Séléka. Starting in November 2016, another Ex-Séléka faction, the FPRC, allied with their former enemy, the Anti-balaka, and attacked UPC.[5][6] The fighting displaced 20,000 and was ethnic in nature with the FPRC singling out Fulani people.[7][6] He is reportedly well studied in past UN peacekeeping missions in order to deal with the peacekeeping mission known as MINUSCA in the country.[8]

On 17 December 2021, the U.S. Department of the Treasury said in a statement that it was seizing all of Ali Darassa's US assets, and criminalizing transactions with him "for serious human rights abuses", stemming from his leadership of the UPC.[9][10]

On 21 September 2023, the Bangui Court of Appeal sentenced Darassa in absentia to a life sentence of forced labor for “conspiracy” and “rebellion”. Darassa is condemned for his role in the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC).[11]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Central African Republic Designation". U.S. Department of the Treasury. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  2. ^ "One day we will start a big war". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  3. ^ In French: Peul. In Fula: Pullo (pl. Fulɓe).
  4. ^ "Blog of the storytellers" (in French). tribautribarblogspot. 27 October 2015.
  5. ^ "Central African Republic: Executions by rebel group". Human Rights Watch. 16 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  6. ^ a b "U.N. 'Kills Rebel Commander' in Central African Republic Airstrikes". Newsweek. 13 February 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  7. ^ "U.N. air strikes in Central African Republic kill several: militia". Reuters. 12 February 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  8. ^ "Peacekeeping, African warlords and Donald Trump". BBC News. 15 February 2017. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  9. ^ "Sanctions américaines contre un chef rebelle centrafricain". Voa Afrique. 18 December 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  10. ^ "Treasury Sanctions UPC Militia Leader in Central African Republic for Serious Human Rights Abuse". U.S. Department of the Treasury. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  11. ^ "Afrique Centrafrique: l'ex-président François Bozizé et des chefs rebelles condamnés à perpétuité par contumace". RFI (in French). Retrieved 2023-09-22.