Cheick Oumar Diarra (January 30, 1944 – October 22, 2005) was a Malian soldier and major general.

Biography

Diarra trained at the Joint Military School (EMIA). After graduating in 1969, Diarra continued his military training at the Kiev Aviation Training School in present-day Ukraine. He then trained at the staff school and the war school of Paris. When he returned to Mali, he exercised various military functions. In 1991, following the overthrow of president

Moussa Traoré Moussa Traoré (25 September 1936 – 15 September 2020) was a Malian military officer, politician, and dictator who served as the second President of Mali from 1968 to 1991. As a lieutenant, he led the military ousting of President Modibo Ke� ...

, Diarra was appointed as Minister of Transport and Public Works in the transitional government. In 2000, Diarra was appointed as itinerant ambassador of Mali to the

Economic Community of West African States The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS; also known as CEDEAO in French and Portuguese) is a regional political and economic union of twelve countries of West Africa. Collectively, the present and former members comprise an area ...

(ECOWAS). He served as deputy executive secretary and was in charge of political affairs, defense and security. On October 22, 2005, while still holding this position, Diarra was killed in the crash of

Bellview Airlines Flight 210 Bellview Airlines Flight 210 was a scheduled Nigerian domestic passenger flight of a Boeing 737#737-200, Boeing 737-200 airliner from Lagos to Abuja, operated by Lagos-based Bellview Airlines. On 22 October 2005, the aircraft nose-dived and cras ...

in Nigeria. Diarra was buried on October 30 in

Bamako Bamako is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2022 population of 4,227,569. It is located on the Niger River, near the rapids that divide the upper and middle Niger valleys in the southwestern part of the country. Bamak ...

in a national funeral ceremony led by president

Amadou Toumani Touré Amadou Toumani Touré (4 November 19489 November 2020), also popularly known in Mali by his initials ATT (), was a Malian politician. He supervised Mali's first multiparty elections as chairman of the transitional government (1991–1992), and la ...

who posthumously awarded Diarra Grand Officer of the National Order of Mali.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diarra, Cheick Oumar 1944 births 2005 deaths Malian military personnel Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Nigeria Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2005 21st-century Malian people