Jean-Jacques Demafouth

Jean-Jacques Démafouth (born November 3, 1959 in Bangui) is a political leader in the Central African Republic. He is a former Defense Minister, Presidential candidate, and is the current political leader of the APRD rebel group. He led the peace delegation of the APRD to talks with the government in December 2008.

Démafouth was Defense Minister under President Ange-Felix Patasse. When a coup attempt against Patasse failed in May 2001, Démafouth was arrested for conspiracy. After a long trial against 680 defendants, Démafouth was among the 49 acquitted in October 2002 by a CAR judge for lack evidence. Démafouth fled to France, where he remained in exile for six years. During this period, the government of President François Bozizé named Démafouth as a suspect in the murder of five aides to former president, André Kolingba, himself charged in absentia with the 2001 coup attempt.

Démafouth enrolled from exile as an Independent, as one of a dozen candidates in the 13 March 2005 Presidential Elections. On 30 December 2004, the transitional constitutional court ruled that Démafouth and six other candidates would be excluded from running for various reasons. In rejecting the candidacy of Jean-Jacques Démafouth, it said that there was a conflict between the date of birth given on his birth certificate (October 3, 1950) and that given in his declaration of candidacy and criminal record (October 3, 1959). The other candidates who were rejected were Ange-Félix Patassé, Martin Ziguélé, Jean-Paul Ngoupandé, Charles Massi, Olivier Gabirault, and Pasteur Josué Binoua. Later, however, Démafouth was allowed to stand. He received 11,279 votes, or 1.27%, in the first round.

In 2008 Démafouth was elected President of the CAR rebel group People's Army for the Restoration of Democracy (APRD). Démafouth reported that he did not seek the post, and only accepted it as a civilian leader on the condition that "the APRD must agree to an inclusive political dialogue and sign a peace accord with the Bangui authorities." President Bozizé had proposed this "inclusive dialogue" process on 8 October 2007.

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