André Kolingba

André-Dieudonné Kolingba was born on August 12, 1936, in Bangui. Trained in French military academies, Kolingba rose through the officer corps, serving as ambassador to Canada and West Germany before being appointed Army Chief of Staff in 1981.

In September 1981, Kolingba assumed the presidency in a bloodless transfer from David Dacko, creating the Military Committee for National Recovery. Under his twelve-year administration, he built national roads, hospitals, and established the 1986 Constitution. In 1993, following free multiparty elections, Kolingba made history in the CAR by peacefully surrendering power to election winner Ange-Félix Patassé.