Operation Barracuda was a military operation by France during 1979-1981, to return to power the former President of the Central African Republic, Mr David Dacko. It followed up
Operation Caban of 21 September 1979, a bloodless military operation in which Emperor
Bokassa I of the
Central African Empire was overthrown.
History
''Barracuda'' was led by French Colonel Bernard Degenne, based in
N'Djamena (the capital of
Chad
Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...
), who gave the code name ''Barracuda'' to four
Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma helicopters and four
Transall C-160 transport aircraft, which carried elements of the
8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment to the Central African capital of
Bangui. At noon, a company of the
3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment
The 3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (french: 3e Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine, 3e RPIMa) is an airborne infantry regiment of the French Army. It is heir to the 3rd Colonial Commando Parachute Battalion created in 1948 an ...
from
Libreville
Libreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon. Occupying in the northwestern province of Estuaire, Libreville is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea. As of the 2013 census, its population was 703,904.
The area has been inh ...
(the capital of
Gabon), was also transported to Bangui.
[ Stephen Smith and Géraldine Faes, ''Bokassa Ier : un empereur français'', Paris, Calmann-Lévy, 2000 .]
Until November 1979, ''Barracuda'' aimed to protect French citizens in the country and the Dacko government, in addition to supporting the
Central African Armed Forces (FACA) in maintaining order. Afterwards, it aimed to rebuild and instruct FACA to ensure the stability of the country. ''Barracuda'' ended in June 1981 and was replaced by the "French Elements of Operational Assistance" which remained in the Central African Republic until 1998.
Footnotes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barracuda, Operation
1979 in the Central African Republic
Central African Republic–France relations
Military operations involving France
Conflicts in 1979