Rachid Ammar, or Rchid Ammar () (born 1947 or 1948) was the chief of staff of the

Tunisian Armed Forces The Tunisian Armed Forces () consist of the Tunisian Army, Tunisian Air Force, Air Force and Navy. As of 2019, Tunisia had armed forces with more than 150,000 active-duty personnel, of which 80,000 were conscripts. Paramilitary forces consisted ...

. He is perhaps best known for his refusal to fire on protestors during the 2011 Tunisian Revolution. He has been described as "the first post-2011 icon in Tunisia."

Biography

Born in either 1947 or 1948, Ammar is from Sayada, a small town on the coast of

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

.Alt URL
/ref> Ammar was promoted to chief of staff from the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

when the previous chief of staff, Abdelaziz Skik, was killed in a 2002 helicopter crash, considered mysterious by several soldiers and journalists who have also held Ben Ali's government responsible. The same helicopter crash also killed five colonels, four majors, and two lieutenants, and one casualty was the Military Security Service leader colonel El Arbi Ghazali. Ammar was a member of the joint chiefs of staff and was received along with other members of the council by Ali at a ceremony during the summer of 2010. There, Ammar was promoted by Ben Ali from the rank of divisional general to that of corps general. On 25 June 2013, Ammar announced his retirement due to harsh criticisms.

Tunisian revolution

On 13 January 2011, Ammar refused to follow the orders of

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (Tunisian Arabic: , ; 3 September 1936 – 19 September 2019), commonly known as Ben Ali or Ezzine, was a Tunisian politician who served as the second President of Tunisia from 1987 to 2011. In that year, during the Tun ...

, then president of Tunisia, to shoot protesters participating in the 2010–2011 Tunisian protests. He responded to the Presidential order with, "Agree to deploy soldiers to calm the situation, but the army does not shoot the people." His popularity increased thereafter, and he has been described as having "real political clout" as a result in the post-revolution era. Ben Ali then sacked Ammar for not obeying his order and put him under house arrest. On 14 January, Ben Ali fled Tunisia and Ammar was reinstated by

Mohamed Ghannouchi Mohamed Ghannouchi (; born 18 August 1941) is a Tunisian politician who was Prime Minister of Tunisia from 1999 to 2011. Regarded as a technocrat, Ghannouchi was a long-standing figure in the Tunisian government under President Zine El Abidine B ...

. On 15 January, ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

'' reported that the Tunisian military was being led by Ammar. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' reported there was speculation that Ammar would take over the country and become president. The Egyptian newspaper ''

Almasry Alyoum ''Al-Masry Al-Youm'' ( ', , meaning ''The Egyptian Today'') is an Egyptian privately owned daily newspaper that was first published in June 2004. It is published in Arabic as is its website, ''almasryalyoum.com''. An English version of the webs ...

'' reported that the embassy of the United States had told Ammar to take control of Tunisia if the country became politically unstable.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ammar, Rachid 1940s births Living people Tunisian generals People from Sayada Year of birth uncertain Year of birth missing (living people)