The Central African Republic’s UN-backed Special Criminal Court began the trial in absentia of former president François Bozizé on allegations of crimes against humanity, including murder, enforced disappearance, torture and rape. The proceedings in Bangui concern abuses allegedly committed by forces under Bozizé’s authority while he was in power.
Bozizé, 79, was living in exile in Guinea-Bissau when the case opened. Prosecutors accuse him of responsibility as a commander-in-chief and military leader for conduct attributed to his security forces between 2009 and 2013. Three former senior military officers connected to the matter — Eugene Barret Ngaikosset, Vianney Semndiro and Firmin Junior Danboy — were being held in pre-trial detention in the Central African Republic and were also due to face proceedings.
The Special Criminal Court is a hybrid institution staffed by national and international judges. Its mandate covers war crimes and other serious abuses committed since 2003, a period marked by repeated armed conflict in the country. In 2024, the court issued an international arrest warrant for Bozizé during an investigation into alleged crimes by the Presidential Guard at a civilian prison and a military training site in Bossembele. Judges said the evidence was sufficiently serious and consistent to raise potential criminal responsibility tied to his superior and military roles.
The case revisits a turbulent period in Central African politics. Bozizé seized power in a 2003 coup and was removed a decade later by the Seleka rebel coalition. His overthrow helped precipitate a civil war in which rebel and militia forces were accused of grave abuses. Bozizé later returned to the country in 2019 and sought to stand in elections, but the Constitutional Court rejected his candidacy on morality grounds linked to the allegations against him.
At the end of 2020, he assumed leadership of the Coalition of Patriots for Change, a rebel alliance that challenged President Faustin-Archange Touadéra’s government. Government forces later pushed the alliance back after Russia deployed hundreds of Wagner personnel. Bozizé subsequently left for Chad and then Guinea-Bissau, where he has lived since March 2023.
The new trial is separate from a 2022 judgment that sentenced Bozizé in absentia to life at forced labour for conspiracy, rebellion and murder. The latest proceedings will test the Special Criminal Court’s ability to adjudicate allegations against a former head of state who remains outside its custody. Trying him in absentia allows the case to advance, but his location and the absence of extradition from Guinea-Bissau create a major practical obstacle to enforcing any eventual judgment.
