Outel Bono
Encyclopedia
Outel Bono was a Chad
ian medical doctor and politician.
He was medical director of the hospital in Chad's capital, Fort-Lamy (now N'Djamena
), in 1963 when he was arrested for plotting against the government of President François Tombalbaye
. Condemned to death, his sentence was commuted after a vigorous campaign led by the French Communist Party
. He was reprieved in 1965 and was able to resume his medical career.
In 1969 Bono was again arrested and condemned to forced labour; but Tombalbaye released him early and appointed him Director (i.e. chief civil servant) of the Chadian Health Ministry, until, in 1972, he left Chad and went to Paris
, where he joined the exiled political opposition. He had organised a press conference to launch a new political party
, the Mouvement Démocratique de Rénovation Tchadienne (MDRT), but two days before, on 26 August 1973, Outel Bono was assassinated in Paris. He was killed by two shots from a revolver as he climbed into his car.
The police investigation failed to find the culprit and the file was closed in 1982 by the investigating magistrate. There were suspicions that both the French secret service and the Chadian Government was involved. A journalist identified the killer as a French agent who had previously worked for President Bokassa of the Central African Republic
, a certain Jacques Bocquel, possibly through orders from Camille Gourvenec
, a French aide of the President Tombalbaye.
Outel Bono's French wife, Nadine, tried to have the case reopened but her appeal was rejected and she was forced to pay legal costs.
The case of Outel Bono has been cited as an example of the web of secret criminality linking powerful people in France and its former African colonies, for which the author François-Xavier Verschave
coined the term Françafrique
in 1994.
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
ian medical doctor and politician.
He was medical director of the hospital in Chad's capital, Fort-Lamy (now N'Djamena
N'Djamena
N'Djamena is the capital and largest city of Chad. A port on the Chari River, near the confluence with the Logone River, it directly faces the Cameroonian town of Kousséri, to which the city is connected by a bridge. It is also a special statute region, divided in 10 arrondissements. It is a...
), in 1963 when he was arrested for plotting against the government of President François Tombalbaye
François Tombalbaye
François Tombalbaye, also called Ngarta Tombalbaye , was a teacher and a trade union activist who served as the first president of Chad. He was born in the southern region of the country in the Moyen-Chari Prefecture near the city of Koumara and was of the Sara ethnic group, the prominent ethnicity...
. Condemned to death, his sentence was commuted after a vigorous campaign led by the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
. He was reprieved in 1965 and was able to resume his medical career.
In 1969 Bono was again arrested and condemned to forced labour; but Tombalbaye released him early and appointed him Director (i.e. chief civil servant) of the Chadian Health Ministry, until, in 1972, he left Chad and went to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he joined the exiled political opposition. He had organised a press conference to launch a new political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
, the Mouvement Démocratique de Rénovation Tchadienne (MDRT), but two days before, on 26 August 1973, Outel Bono was assassinated in Paris. He was killed by two shots from a revolver as he climbed into his car.
The police investigation failed to find the culprit and the file was closed in 1982 by the investigating magistrate. There were suspicions that both the French secret service and the Chadian Government was involved. A journalist identified the killer as a French agent who had previously worked for President Bokassa of the Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
, a certain Jacques Bocquel, possibly through orders from Camille Gourvenec
Camille Gourvenec
Camille Gourvenec was an officer of the French external intelligence service SDECE, possibly with the rank of colonel, who, from 1966, was seconded as security adviser to President François Tombalbaye of Chad, and was therefore effectively head of Tombalbaye's security and intelligence service. He...
, a French aide of the President Tombalbaye.
Outel Bono's French wife, Nadine, tried to have the case reopened but her appeal was rejected and she was forced to pay legal costs.
The case of Outel Bono has been cited as an example of the web of secret criminality linking powerful people in France and its former African colonies, for which the author François-Xavier Verschave
François-Xavier Verschave
François-Xavier Verschave was primarily known as one of the founders of the French NGO Survie , over which he presided since 1995, and as coiner of the term Françafrique, an expression designating the specific form of neocolonialism which has been endured by the former French Colonies.Verschave...
coined the term Françafrique
Françafrique
Françafrique is a term that refers to France's relationship with Africa. The term was first used in a positive sense by President Félix Houphouët-Boigny of Côte d'Ivoire, but it is now generally understood to denounce the neocolonial relationship France has with its African backyard...
in 1994.