Ali Darassa Mahamat
Ali Darassa (in purple suit) surrounded by his men in Ngakobo
Born (1978-09-22) 22 September 1978
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 Nassaraza Darassa, 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

References

  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. 1 2 "U.N. 'Kills Rebel Commander' in Central African Republic Airstrikes". 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.


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