Michel Djotodia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Michel Djotodia
Djotodia in 2020
7th President of the Central African Republic
In office 24 March 2013 – 10 January 2014
Prime Minister	Nicolas Tiangaye
Preceded by	François Bozizé
Succeeded by	Alexandre-Ferdinand Nguendet (acting)
Personal details
Born	Michel Am-Nondokro Djotodia 1949 (age 75–76) Gordil, Vakaga, French Equatorial Africa (now Central African Republic)
Political party	Union of Democratic Forces for Unity
Other political affiliations	Séléka
Spouse	Chantal Djotodia ​ (m. 2012)​
Signature

Michel Djotodia (born around 1949) is a politician from the Central African Republic. He served as the country's President from 2013 to 2014. He was the first Muslim leader in this country, where most people are Christian.

Djotodia led a group of rebels called Séléka, which was mostly made up of Muslims. This group started a rebellion in December 2012 against the then-President, François Bozizé. After a peace agreement, Djotodia became the First Deputy Prime Minister for National Defense in February 2013. However, the peace deal did not last. Séléka took control of the capital city, Bangui, and Djotodia became President on March 24, 2013. He promised to lead the country for a short time and then hold new elections, where he would not run for president. But during his time in office, there was a lot of fighting between different religious groups. Because of this, other leaders in the region asked him to step down, and he resigned on January 10, 2014.

Early Life and Education

Michel Djotodia was born in Gordil, a town in the Central African Republic, likely in 1949. He is a Muslim and belongs to the Gula people. This means he is part of a smaller religious group in a country where most people are Christian.

He lived in the Soviet Union for about 10 years. While there, he studied at the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia. He learned to speak Russian very well. He also got married and had children during his time there. When he returned home, people saw him as a smart and educated person. He spoke many languages, including French, Sango, and his native Gula.

Djotodia worked in the government as a tax official in the 1980s. He also worked for the Ministry of Planning and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For a while, he was the Central African Republic's consul (a type of diplomat) in the city of Nyala in Sudan.

Becoming a Rebel Leader

Djotodia became involved with rebel groups. In 2006, he helped start the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity rebel group. During this time, he lived away from his home country in Cotonou, Benin. In November 2006, he was arrested in Benin along with his spokesman. This happened because the Central African Republic's President, François Bozizé, asked for it. They were set free in February 2008 after they agreed to talk about peace with the government.

Leading the Séléka Rebellion

In December 2012, Djotodia became a main leader of the Séléka rebel group. This group quickly took control of a large part of the country. In January 2013, peace talks were held. President Bozizé agreed to let an opposition leader become prime minister and to include rebels in the government.

A new government was formed on February 3, 2013. It was led by Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye and included supporters of Bozizé, opposition members, and rebels. Djotodia was given an important job as the First Deputy Prime Minister for National Defense.

Becoming President

The peace agreement did not last. In March 2013, Séléka started taking over towns again. They said that President Bozizé had not kept his promises. The rebels stopped their five ministers, including Djotodia, from going to the capital city. Djotodia said that his soldiers made this decision, not him. Some people thought that while Djotodia was happy with his new government job, other Séléka members wanted to take full power.

After several days of fighting, the rebels captured Bangui on March 24, 2013. President Bozizé had to leave the country, and Djotodia declared himself President. Djotodia announced that there would be a three-year period to set up a new government. He also said that Nicolas Tiangaye would continue to be Prime Minister.

Djotodia quickly stopped the country's constitution and ended the government and the National Assembly. But then, on March 27, 2013, he reappointed Tiangaye as Prime Minister. Top military and police officers met with Djotodia and recognized him as President on March 28, 2013. A new government was formed on March 31, 2013, with Djotodia still in charge of defense.

On April 3, 2013, African leaders met in Chad. They said they did not recognize Djotodia as the official President. Instead, they suggested forming a temporary council and holding new elections in 18 months, not three years. On April 4, a government minister said that Djotodia had accepted these ideas. However, he also suggested that Djotodia could stay in power if he was chosen to lead the temporary council. So, on April 6, Djotodia signed a paper to create a temporary council. This council would act like a temporary parliament. Its job was to choose a temporary president to serve for 18 months until new elections.

The temporary council had 105 members. They met for the first time on April 13, 2013, and immediately chose Djotodia as the temporary President. There were no other candidates. A few days later, regional leaders publicly accepted Djotodia's leadership for this temporary period. But to show their disapproval, they said he would be called "Head of State of the Transition" instead of "President of the Republic." According to the plan, Djotodia would not run for President in the elections at the end of this temporary period.

In the months after Séléka took over, the group was criticized for continuing to harm people. Djotodia officially became President on August 18, 2013. On that day, he said he hoped to be "the last of my countrymen to have to take up arms in order to come to power." He also promised again that he would not run for president in the future.

Resignation from Office

Fighting between Muslims and non-Muslims continued to get worse. Djotodia faced pressure from leaders in the region and from other countries. They felt he could not control the situation. Djotodia resigned as President at a meeting in N'Djamena on January 10, 2014. He then went to live in Benin on January 11. Benin's Foreign Minister welcomed him at the airport. He said that Benin welcomed Djotodia "at the request of member states of the Economic Community of Central African States" to help find peace in central Africa.

In July 2014, the Séléka group announced that Djotodia had been made their leader again.

Images for kids

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  Michel Djotodia's signature

See also

In Spanish: Michel Djotodia para niños