Editing Central African Empire (section)

===Overthrow===
{{History of the Central African Republic|expanded=independence}}
{{Main|Operation Caban|Operation Barracuda}}

By January 1979, French support for Bokassa had eroded after riots in [[Bangui]] led to a massacre of civilians.{{sfn|Meredith|1997|p=230}} Between 17 and 19 April, a number of high school students were arrested after they had protested against wearing the expensive, government-required school uniforms; an estimated 100 were killed in the [[1979 Ngaragba Prison massacre|Ngaragba Prison massacre]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title = AFRICA: Papa in the Dock|url = http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,946313,00.html|magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]]|date = 1979-06-11|df = dmy-all|access-date = 2019-05-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last = Greene|first = B.|date = 2012-03-12|df = dmy-all|title = 5 Most Notorious African Warlords, Jean-Bédel Bokassa|url = https://www.usnews.com/news/slideshows/5-most-notorious-african-warlords?slide=5|magazine = [[U.S. News]]|access-date = 2019-05-12}}</ref>

Emperor Bokassa personally participated in the massacre, where he was reported beating dozens of children to death with his own cane.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}} The massive press coverage which followed the deaths of the students opened the way for a successful coup which saw French troops in [[Operation Caban]] and subsequently [[Operation Barracuda]] restore former president [[David Dacko]] to power while Bokassa was away in [[Libya]] meeting with [[Gaddafi]] on 20 September 1979.

Bokassa's overthrow by the French government was called "France's last colonial expedition" by veteran French diplomat and regime change architect [[Jacques Foccart]]. [[François Mitterrand]] refused to have France intervene in this manner again.<ref name=":03" /> Operation Barracuda began the night of 20 September and ended early the next morning. An undercover commando squad from the French intelligence agency [[SDECE]], joined by the [[1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment]] led by Colonel Brancion-Rouge, landed by [[Transall C-160]], and managed to secure [[Bangui M'Poko International Airport]]. Upon arrival of two more transport aircraft, a message was sent to Colonel Degenne to come in with eight [[Aérospatiale Puma|Puma helicopters]] and Transall aircraft, which took off from [[N'Djaména]] military airport in neighbouring [[Chad]].{{sfn|Bokassa|2006|p=32}}

By 12:30&nbsp;p.m. on 21 September 1979, the pro-French Dacko proclaimed the fall of the Central African Empire. David Dacko remained president until he was overthrown on 1 September 1981, by General [[André Kolingba]].

Bokassa died on 3 November 1996, in the Central African Republic. In 2009, [[Jean-Serge Bokassa]], who was seven years old when the Emperor was overthrown, stated his father's reign was "indefensible".<ref>{{cite news|last = Thomson|first = M.|date = 2009-01-02|df = dmy-all|title = 'Good old days' under Bokassa?|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7803421.stm|newspaper = [[BBC News]]|access-date = 2019-05-12}}</ref>