Central African Republic (CAF)Central Africa, AfricaSeptember 1, 1981
Event Summary
On September 1, 1981 General Andre Kolingba overthrew President David Dacko of the Central African Republic in a bloodless coup while Dacko was abroad, ending the fragile civilian restoration that had followed the fall of Emperor Bokassa two years earlier. France had removed Bokassa in 1979 and restored Dacko, but Dacko's second presidency was weak: he depended on French troops and on officials held over from Bokassa's regime, and he faced strikes, bomb attacks, and growing opposition even after a contested 1981 election. On September 1, 1981 Kolingba, the army chief of staff Dacko had appointed, seized power while Dacko was away, established a Military Committee for National Recovery, suspended the constitution, and limited party activity.
Dacko was not physically harmed and later returned to opposition politics. French advisers were widely suspected of assisting the coup.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Target identified in Coup Atlas research: President David Dacko, overthrown on September 1, 1981 by his army chief Kolingba; he was not physically harmed and later returned to politics.
RESEARCHED NAME
Key figures
David Dacko (president overthrown)
Andre Kolingba (army chief of staff who seized power)
Sources
On 1 September 1981, General Andre Kolingba deposed President David Dacko of the Central African Republic in a bloodless coup while Dacko was away from the country traveling to an official state visit in Libya, and the day after the coup a Military Committee for National Recovery led by Kolingba was established, which suspended the constitution and limited political party activity.
SOURCE REVIEWEDWikipedia, 1981 Central African Republic coup d'etatopen source ↗
To maintain his power Dacko was forced to rely on French paratroops and on administrative officials who had also served in Bokassa's government, and as opposition grew with labour strikes and bomb attacks, in September 1981 General Andre Kolingba removed Dacko from office in a bloodless coup and established a military government.
SOURCE REVIEWEDBritannica, Central African Republicopen source ↗
On 1 September 1981 Dacko was overthrown in a bloodless coup carried out by army chief of staff General Andre Kolingba, who may have had the support of local French security officers suspected of having acted without authorization by Francois Mitterrand's new Socialist government, and Dacko, unharmed, later returned to politics.
When Bokassa was overthrown in 1979 and David Dacko was restored to power by the French, Kolingba gained Dacko's favor and was made army chief of staff in July 1981, and in September 1981 Kolingba overthrew Dacko in a coup d'etat.
SOURCE REVIEWEDWikipedia, Andre Kolingbaopen source ↗
Editorial Note
Arc closer: this September 1981 coup CLOSES the post-Bokassa restoration in the Central African Republic; it connects directly to the September 1979 French operation that removed Emperor Bokassa and restored Dacko (enriched in batch 32), and it removes that same restored president two years later. Fate coding: Dacko was not physically harmed and later returned to opposition politics, matching the dataset. Coding note: the dataset labels this a military coup, accurately, led by the army chief of staff Kolingba whom Dacko had recently appointed. French role recorded as contested: multiple sources suggest French military advisers (notably Jean-Claude Mantion) assisted the coup, possibly without the authorization of Mitterrand's government; this is recorded as a widely reported but not fully substantiated claim rather than an established fact. Context recorded: Dacko's second presidency was weakened by dependence on French troops, retention of Bokassa-era officials, and unrest including strikes and bombings. Aftermath: Kolingba ruled until 1993, when he lost multiparty elections, later context.
Cross-Reference
Datasets agree. At least two of the three reference datasets we check against carry this event, and none of them disagrees about its date or its result.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: President David Dacko, overthrown on September 1, 1981 by his army chief Kolingba; he was not physically harmed and later returned to politics..
Baseline coding: Incumbent executive removed from power. Recorded leader fate: deposed; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.
Baseline Dataset Citation
Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset, v2.2.2
Peyton, Buddy, Joseph Bajjalieh, Michael Martin, and Andrea Gerald. 2026. Cline Center Coup d’État Project Dataset. Cline Center for Advanced Social Research. V.2.2.2. February 17. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. doi: 10.13012/B2IDB-9651987_V10
“Army Topples Leader of Central African Republic,” by Frank J. Prial, September 2, 1981
This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →