Operation Barracuda was a military operation by

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

during 1979-1981, to return to power the former President of the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of the C ...

David Dacko David Dacko (; 1927 – 21 November 2003) was a Central African politician who served as the first president of the Central African Republic from 14 August 1960 to 1 January 1966, and 3rd President from 21 September 1979 to 1 September 1981. Af ...

. It followed up Operation Caban of 21 September 1979, a bloodless military operation in which Emperor Bokassa I of the

Central African Empire From 4 December 1976 to 21 September 1979, the Central African Republic was officially known as the Central African Empire (french: Empire centrafricain), after military dictator (and president at the time) Marshal Marshal is a term used ...

was overthrown by French paratrooper '' troupes''.

History

''Barracuda'' was led by French Colonel Bernard Degenne, based in

N'Djamena N'Djamena ( ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Chad. It is also a Regions of Chad, special statute region, divided into 10 districts or ''arrondissements''. The city serves as the centre of economic activity in Chad. Meat, fish a ...

(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 Repub ...

), who gave the code name ''Barracuda'' to four

Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma The Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma is a four-bladed, twin-engined medium transport/utility helicopter that was designed and originally produced by the French aerospace manufacturer Sud Aviation. It is capable of carrying up to 20 passengers as well as ...

helicopters and four

Transall C-160 The Transall C-160 is a military transport aircraft, produced as a joint venture between France and Germany. " Transall" is an abbreviation of the manufacturing consortium Transporter Allianz, comprising the companies of MBB, Aerospatiale, an ...

transport aircraft, which carried elements of the

8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment The 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment (french: 8e Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine, (8e RPIMa) is an airborne regiment of the French Army. The 8e RPIMa was created on 28 February 1951 and the men wear the red beret. It is pa ...

to the Central African capital of

Bangui Bangui () (or Bangî in Sango, formerly written Bangi in English) is the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. It was established as a French outpost in 1889 and named after its location on the northern bank of the Ubangi ...

. 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 (the capital of

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...

), 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 The Central African Armed Forces (french: Forces armées centrafricaines; FACA) are the armed forces of the Central African Republic and have been barely functional since the outbreak of the civil war in 2012. Today they are among the world's we ...

(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 French involvement in regime change 1970s coups d'état and coup attempts Military coups in the Central African Republic 20th-century military history of France