Émile Boga Doudou
Encyclopedia
Émile Boga Doudou was an Ivorian
politician who served as Minister of State for the Interior and Decentralization from 2000 to 2002. He was killed in the failed coup attempt that marked the start of the Ivorian Civil War.
Doudou was born in 1952 in Domaboué, near Lakota
, Côte d'Ivoire. A lawyer by profession, Doudou was married and had three children.
Doudou was a founding member of the Ivorian Popular Front
(FPI) in 1982. At the party's Constitutive Congress in 1988, he became a member of the Secretariat-General of the FPI; he was subsequently a member of the Secretariat-General from 1990 to 2001. He was elected to the National Assembly
as an FPI candidate in the November 1990 parliamentary election
, and he was re-elected in the November 1995 parliamentary election
; in the National Assembly he served as President of the FPI Parliamentary Group.
He was a close ally of FPI leader Laurent Gbagbo. Following a military coup in December 1999, a presidential election
was held in October 2000; Gbagbo, the FPI candidate, claimed victory and became President. He then appointed Doudou as Minister of State for the Interior and Decentralization in the government named on October 27, 2000. On December 5, 2000, Doudou controversially showed firearms on national television which armed forces had seized at a mosque.
Doudou was elected to the National Assembly again in the December 2000 parliamentary election. He was initially a candidate for the post of President of the National Assembly following the election, but he withdrew his candidacy before the vote was held on January 22, 2001; Mamadou Koulibaly
, another member of the FPI, was elected to the post without opposition. Doudou subsequently remained a member of the government.
At the FPI's Third Extraordinary Congress, held from July 20 to July 22, 2001, Doudou was elected as the Third Vice-President of the FPI; this was a newly-created position.
during a failed coup attempt. The uprising began September 19 with automatic-weapons fire erupting outside a paramilitary police base in Abidjan. "Hundreds" of troops attacked police headquarters and the houses of two ministers; besides Doudou, at least 80 loyalist soldiers were killed by the rebels.
Gunfire and explosions spread to other parts of the Ivorian capital, including central areas and its suburbs. During this, state radio and television were off the air. The international airport was closed. Soldiers shot at motorists who were approaching roadblocks. This attempted coup came while President Laurent Gbagbo was on a state visit to Italy. Violence continued through September 20 and became the basis for the Ivorian Civil War.
, Abidjan, to the National Assembly, where deputies paid their last respects to him. A requiem mass was held at the Saint-Paul Cathedral in Plateau, the administrative district of Abidjan. At this point, he was taken to his home town for burial.
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
politician who served as Minister of State for the Interior and Decentralization from 2000 to 2002. He was killed in the failed coup attempt that marked the start of the Ivorian Civil War.
Early life and career
Lakota, Côte d'Ivoire
Lakota is a department of Côte d'Ivoire. Lakota is also the name of a town in the department. Lakota Department and Lakota Town lie in Sud-Bandama Region....
, Côte d'Ivoire. A lawyer by profession, Doudou was married and had three children.
Doudou was a founding member of the Ivorian Popular Front
Ivorian Popular Front
The Ivorian Popular Front , known by its French initials FPI, is a centre-left, democratic socialist and social democratic, political party in Côte d'Ivoire....
(FPI) in 1982. At the party's Constitutive Congress in 1988, he became a member of the Secretariat-General of the FPI; he was subsequently a member of the Secretariat-General from 1990 to 2001. He was elected to the National Assembly
National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire
The National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire is Côte d'Ivoire's unicameral legislative body. Evolved from semi-representative bodies of the French Colonial period, the first National Assembly was constituted on 27 November 1960 with 70 elected member in accordance with the Constitution of 31 October...
as an FPI candidate in the November 1990 parliamentary election
Ivorian parliamentary election, 1990
Parliamentary elections were held in Ivory Coast on 25 November 1990, the first since the restoration of multi-party democracy. Although 17 of the 25 legalised parties ran in the election, nearly half of the 490 candidates were from the former sole legal party, the Democratic Party of Côte d'Ivoire...
, and he was re-elected in the November 1995 parliamentary election
Ivorian parliamentary election, 1995
Parliamentary elections were held in Ivory Coast on 26 November 1995. Ten parties and a number of independents contested the election, with the Rally of the Republicans and the Ivorian Popular Front running under the Republican Front banner...
; in the National Assembly he served as President of the FPI Parliamentary Group.
He was a close ally of FPI leader Laurent Gbagbo. Following a military coup in December 1999, a presidential election
Ivorian presidential election, 2000
A presidential election was held in Côte d'Ivoire on 22 October 2000. Robert Guéï, who headed a transitional military regime following the December 1999 coup d'état, stood as a candidate in the election. All of the major opposition candidates except for Laurent Gbagbo of the Ivorian Popular Front ...
was held in October 2000; Gbagbo, the FPI candidate, claimed victory and became President. He then appointed Doudou as Minister of State for the Interior and Decentralization in the government named on October 27, 2000. On December 5, 2000, Doudou controversially showed firearms on national television which armed forces had seized at a mosque.
Doudou was elected to the National Assembly again in the December 2000 parliamentary election. He was initially a candidate for the post of President of the National Assembly following the election, but he withdrew his candidacy before the vote was held on January 22, 2001; Mamadou Koulibaly
Mamadou Koulibaly
Mamadou Koulibaly is an Ivorian politician who has been President of the National Assembly of Côte d'Ivoire since January 2001. Previously he was Minister of the Budget in 2000 and Minister of the Economy and Finance from 2000 to 2001...
, another member of the FPI, was elected to the post without opposition. Doudou subsequently remained a member of the government.
At the FPI's Third Extraordinary Congress, held from July 20 to July 22, 2001, Doudou was elected as the Third Vice-President of the FPI; this was a newly-created position.
Death
He was killed on September 19, 2002 in AbidjanAbidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
during a failed coup attempt. The uprising began September 19 with automatic-weapons fire erupting outside a paramilitary police base in Abidjan. "Hundreds" of troops attacked police headquarters and the houses of two ministers; besides Doudou, at least 80 loyalist soldiers were killed by the rebels.
Gunfire and explosions spread to other parts of the Ivorian capital, including central areas and its suburbs. During this, state radio and television were off the air. The international airport was closed. Soldiers shot at motorists who were approaching roadblocks. This attempted coup came while President Laurent Gbagbo was on a state visit to Italy. Violence continued through September 20 and became the basis for the Ivorian Civil War.
Funeral
Doudou's funeral was held on August 1, 2003. His body was moved in a procession from a hospital morgue in TreichvilleTreichville
Treichville is a commune of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The commune is known as one of the most lively in the city, specially around the Crossroad France-Amérique. The streets have no name but numbers from 1 to 25. The commune is served by a railway station belonging to the RAN...
, Abidjan, to the National Assembly, where deputies paid their last respects to him. A requiem mass was held at the Saint-Paul Cathedral in Plateau, the administrative district of Abidjan. At this point, he was taken to his home town for burial.