Somaliland: Bokasso Cannibal exemplifies the Bad Rule of African Leaders.

Somalilandsun-Jean-Bédel Bokassa  also known as Bokassa of Central Africa  was a dictator of the Central African Republic from January 1966 until overthrown  on 20 September 1979.

Between 17 April and 19 April, 1979 a large number of elementary school students in Bangui were arrested after they had protested against  wearing  expensive, government-required school uniforms with Bokassa’s image on them. Around 100 children were killed. Bokassa allegedly participated in the massacre, beating some of the children to death with his cane.

Testimony came from 27 teenagers and young adults who claimed to be former school children who testified as being the only survivors of the 180 children arrested in April 1979. The arrests came after the children threw rocks at Bokassa’s passing Rolls-Royce during protests over wearing the costly school uniforms which they were forced to purchase from a factory  owned by one of his wives.

Several of them testified that on their first night in jail, Bokassa visited the prison and screamed at the children for their insolence. He was said to have ordered the prison guards to club the children to death, and Bokassa indeed participated, personally smashing the skulls of at least five children with his ebony walking stick. It is alleged that  Bokassa  has eaten the liver of  2 young children

Bokassa had been tried and sentenced to death in absentia in December 1980 for the murder of numerous political rivals. Bokassa was immediately arrested by the Central African authorities as soon as he stepped off the plane and was tried for 14 different charges, including treason, murder, cannibalism, illegal use of property, assault and battery, and embezzlement.

Many people in the Central African Republic, and most of the rest of the world, regard Bokassa as a typical kleptocrat or describe him as either an egotistical madman or a bloodthirsty dictator.

Drs Hoodo Yusuf , Uk, London. 

yhoodo@yahoo.com.