Mosese Tikoitoga

Brigadier Mosese Tikoitoga (died 29 December 2023) was a Fijian soldier and diplomat, who served as Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces from 2014 to 2015.

Tikoitoga was educated at the University of Canberra, gaining a Masters in Management in Defence Studies, and at the University of Madras, where he gained a Masters of Philosophy in Defence and Strategic Studies.^[1]

Following the 2006 Fijian coup d'état he was appointed RFMF chief of staff in July 2007.^[2] He acted as the spokesperson for the military regime.^[3] He was appointed Land Forces Commander in October 2010, replacing Pita Driti who was sent on leave for plotting against the regime.^[4] In May 2011 he was elected chair of the Fiji Rugby Union.^[5]

In 2012 the military regime appointed a constitutional commission to draft a new constitution as part of a return to democracy.^[6] in December 2012 Tikoitoga ordered all copies of the draft seized^[7] and demanded the prosecution of commission chair Yash Ghai.^[8] The draft was subsequently discarded and a new, military-drafted constitution imposed.

Tikoitoga was appointed RFMF commander in March 2014 in order to enable dictator Frank Bainimarama to form a political party and contest the 2014 Fijian general election.^[9][10] He was replaced as Land Force Commander by Lieutenant Colonel Jone Kalouniwai.^[11] During the election campaign he announced the military would be monitoring political party meetings,^[12] but that the military would accept the election outcome.^[13] He resigned abruptly in August 2015 and was replaced by Viliame Naupoto.^[14]

In January 2016 he was appointed ambassador to Ethiopia.^[1] In May 2023 he was appointed acting ambassador-at-large.^[15] In September 2023 he was appointed high commissioner to Papua New Guinea.^[16] He died in Port Moresby on 29 December 2023 after a brief illness.^[17]

In November 2014 Tikoitoga was made an Officer of the Order of Fiji.^[18] He died on 29 December 2023.^[19]