Sylvestre Bangui

Sylvestre Bangui (15 March 1934 – 4 June 1996) was a Central African general, diplomat and politician. He rose amongst the ranks of the Central African Armed Forces to become a general, and was away for military training when Jean-Bédel Bokassa carried out his coup d'état in 1965. Bokassa appointed him as an ambassador, first to Canada and then to France. In 1979, he carried out a press conference where he denounced his government for carrying out a massacre of children, resigned and formed an opposition group. After Bokassa's deposition, he served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1979 and 1980. He also served as the Minister of Economy and Finance in 1983 and 1984.