Editing Central African Republic (section)

==== Patassé government (1993–2003) ====
Patassé purged many of the Kolingba elements from the government and Kolingba supporters accused Patassé's government of conducting a "[[Witch-hunt#Figurative use of the term|witch hunt]]" against the Yakoma. A new constitution was approved on 28 December 1994 but had little impact on the country's politics. In 1996–1997, reflecting steadily decreasing public confidence in the government's erratic behavior, three [[Mutiny|mutinies]] against Patassé's administration were accompanied by widespread destruction of property and heightened ethnic tension. During this time (1996), the [[Peace Corps]] evacuated all its volunteers to neighboring Cameroon. To date, the Peace Corps has not returned to the Central African Republic. The [[Bangui Agreements]], signed in January 1997, provided for the deployment of an inter-African military mission, to the Central African Republic and re-entry of ex-mutineers into the government on 7 April 1997. The inter-African military mission was later replaced by a U.N. [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1159|peacekeeping force (MINURCA)]]. Since 1997, the country has hosted almost a dozen peacekeeping interventions, earning it the title of "world champion of peacekeeping".<ref name=fp1015/>

In 1998, parliamentary elections resulted in Kolingba's RDC winning 20 out of 109 seats. The next year, however, in spite of widespread public anger in urban centers over his corrupt rule, Patassé won a second term in the presidential election.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.eisa.org.za/wep/car1999results.htm|title=EISA Central African Republic: 1999 Presidential election results|date=October 2010|website=www.eisa.org.za|publisher=African Democracy Encyclopaedia Project|access-date=27 February 2020|archive-date=29 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729062022/https://eisa.org.za/wep/car1999results.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 28 May 2001, rebels stormed strategic buildings in Bangui in an [[2001 Central African Republic coup d'état attempt|unsuccessful coup attempt]]. The army chief of staff, Abel Abrou, and General François N'Djadder Bedaya were killed, but Patassé regained the upper hand by bringing in at least 300 troops of the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congolese]] rebel leader [[Jean-Pierre Bemba]] and Libyan soldiers.<ref>{{Cite web|author=International Crisis Group|title=Central African Republic: Anatomy of a Phantom State|url=http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/africa/central-africa/central-african-republic/Central%20African%20Republic%20Anatomy%20of%20a%20Phantom%20State.pdf|website=CrisisGroup.org|publisher=International Crisis Group|access-date=24 July 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626162538/http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/africa/central-africa/central-african-republic/Central%20African%20Republic%20Anatomy%20of%20a%20Phantom%20State.pdf|archive-date=26 June 2014}}</ref>

In the aftermath of the [[2001 Central African Republic coup d'état attempt|failed coup]], militias loyal to Patassé sought revenge against rebels in many neighborhoods of [[Bangui]] and incited unrest including the murder of many political opponents. Eventually, Patassé came to suspect that General [[François Bozizé]] was involved in another coup attempt against him, which led Bozizé to flee with loyal troops to Chad. In March 2003, Bozizé launched a surprise attack against Patassé, who was out of the country. Libyan troops and some 1,000 soldiers of Bemba's Congolese rebel organization failed to stop the rebels and Bozizé's forces succeeded in overthrowing Patassé.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discoverworld.com/Central-African-Republic:In-depth#History|title=Central African Republic History|date=2018|website=DiscoverWorld.com|access-date=15 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210180433/https://www.discoverworld.com/Central-African-Republic:In-depth#History|archive-date=10 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>