Robert Guéï was the military ruler of the Ivory Coast from December 24, 1999 to October 26, 2000.
Background
Robert Guéï was born on March 16, 1941, in Kabakouma, a village in the region of Man, the coffee-growing region of the Ivory Coast. His family was of Yacouba background, one of the West African ethnic tribes belonging to the Mande language group. At the time of his birth, the country was still a colony of France, but by 1960 it had achieved its independence.
Education
Guéï had his education in neighboring Burkina Faso at the Ouagadougou military academy, and went on to further training in France at the Saint-Cyr officers' college.
Robert Guéï was an ardent supporter of longtime President Félix Houphouët-Boigny, who in 1990 appointed him chief of the army following a mutiny. After the death of Houphouët-Boigny in 1993, Guéï became distanced from the new leader Henri Konan Bédié. Guéï's refusal to mobilise his troops to resolve a political struggle between Bédié and the opposition leader Alassane Ouattara in October 1995 led to his dismissal. He was made a minister but sacked again in August 1996 and forced out of the army in January 1997.
Bédié was overthrown in a coup on Christmas Eve, 1999. Although Guéï had no role in the coup, the popular general was encouraged out of retirement to head the junta until the next elections. Guéï stood in the October 2000 presidential election as an independent. He only allowed one opposition candidate, Laurent Gbagbo of the Ivorian Popular Front, to run against him. Guéï was soundly defeated by Gbagbo, but refused to recognize the result. It took a spate of street protests to bring Gbagbo to power. Guéï fled to Gouessesso, near the Liberian border, but remained a figure in the political scene. He was included in a reconciliation forum in 2001 and agreed to refrain from undemocratic methods.
Guéï withdrew from the forum agreement in September 2002, but was killed along with his wife, former First Lady Rose Doudou Guéï, and their children on September 19, 2002, in the Cocody district of Abidjan at the first hours of the civil war. The circumstances of his death remain mysterious, although generally attributed to forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo. His wife and several members of his family and the interior minister, Émile Boga Doudou, were also killed
Religion
Robert Guéï was a practicing Roman Catholic. Little is known about his religious background.
Politics
His political views are full of controversies. He was involved in a coup that ousted the then president, and he created a lot of disunity between the people of Ivory coast during his time of reign.
His refusal to mobilise his troops to resolve a political struggle between Bédié and the opposition leader Alassane Ouattara in October 1995 led to his dismissal.
Views
Quotations:
"The army does not intervene unless the republic is in danger."
"Workers should return to their jobs today, but a dusk to dawn curfew remained in place, with soldiers ordered to shoot suspected looters on sight.”
“Today's success belongs to you. It is your victory over the cruel maneuvers of Ivory Coast's enemies.”
Personality
Robert Guéï was a short man of the Black race.
Quotes from others about the person
Felix Doh: "We took up arms because they killed Robert Guei. I am fighting to avenge the general."
Connections
He was married, and had children
Spouse:
Rose Doudou Guéï
Son:
Franck Guéï
Friend:
Félix Houphouët-Boigny
References
Guéï, Robert 1941–2002
Robert Guéï inadvertently earned a place in African political history in 2000 as the first dictator to be ousted in a popular uprising on the continent. The former army general's ten-month-long reign in the West African nation of the Ivory Coast ended when demonstrators took to the streets after he declared himself the winner in a fraudulent presidential election that year.
2005
LA VIDEO. Côte d'Ivoire : qui était le général Robert Gueï?
Le procès des 22 assassins présumés du général Robert Gueï s'est rouvert le jeudi 21 janvier 2016 à Abidjan, en Côte d'Ivoire, avant d'être reporté au lundi 1er février 2016. Qui était le général putschiste ivoirien et dans quelles conditions a-t-il trouvé la mort?
Qui était Robert Gueï ? - JeuneAfrique.com
23 décembre 2009 à 12h41 Écrit par Francis Kpatindé, envoyé spécial? Partager Tweeter Share Envoyer L’ancien chef d’état-major limogé par Bédié en 1995 prend une éclatante revanche. Même si ses relations avec Houphouët ne furent pas toujours sans nuages, il s’efforce aujourd’hui d’apparaître comme son véritable héritier.