Full Name
Abbas Koty Yacoub
Date of Birth
1952
Place of Birth
Date of Death
October 22, 1993 (assassination)
Place of Death
Education
Not available in the provided sources.
Spouses Names
Not available in the provided sources.
Children Names
Not available in the provided sources.
Parents Names
Not available in the provided sources.
Known Affiliates Names
Goukouni Oueddei, Hissène Habré, Idriss Déby
Affiliated Organizations’ Names
Military Cabinet of Chad, Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS)
Personal Life
Abbas Koty was born in 1952 and was a member of the Zaghawa Kobé tribe. His family had connections to the Sultan of Iriba, indicating a notable social standing within his community[3].
Career
Koty’s professional journey was deeply intertwined with Chad’s tumultuous political landscape. Initially, he served as the Director of the Military Cabinet under Head of State Goukouni Oueddei from 1979 until June 1982. Following Oueddei’s ousting by Hissène Habré, Koty went into exile in Nigeria. Despite his opposition to Habré, Koty returned to Chad in 1985 as part of a national reconciliation effort. By 1986, he was appointed as chargé d’affaires to Sudan, a position he held until 1988[1].
His political career took a significant turn when he joined the Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) and became a member of its Political Bureau. The MPS’s ascension to power in December 1990 saw Koty being promoted to colonel and appointed as the army chief of staff. In May 1991, he was named Minister of Defense, Veterans, and War Victims under President Idriss Déby. However, by December 1991, he transitioned to the role of Minister of Public Works and Transport[1][4]. Koty’s influence within the MPS was further solidified when he was elected to the party’s Executive Committee, overseeing defense and security[1].
Achievements
Koty’s political and military career was marked by his significant roles within the government and the MPS. His appointments as Minister of Defense and later as Minister of Public Works and Transport underscore his contributions to Chad’s governance during a critical period of its history[1][4].
Controversies, Myths, Misconceptions
In June 1992, Koty was implicated in a coup attempt against the government, leading to his flight into exile in Cameroon. There, he co-founded the National Committee for Recovery (CNR) and was elected its president in November 1992[1]. Despite signing peace agreements with the government in 1993, Koty’s life came to a tragic end on October 22, 1993, when he was shot and killed by security forces in N’Djamena. The government claimed he was plotting a coup and had resisted arrest[2][7][8], but the CNR and a U.S. State Department human rights report suggested his death was politically motivated, casting doubt on the official narrative[2].
Bibliography
N/A
Citations
- ”Les martyrs du CNR” Archived October 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, cnrdutchad.com (in French).
- Chad Human Rights Practices, 1993 Archived 2007-08-12 at the Wayback Machine, U.S. Department of State.
- Bernard Lanne, “Chad: Regime Change, Increased Insecurity, and Blockage of Further Reforms”, Political Reform in Francophone Africa (1997), ed. Clark and Gardinier, page 277.
- ”Dec 1991 - Cabinet reshuffle-Creation of national commission”, Keesing’s Record of World Events, Volume 37, December, 1991 Chad, Page 38665.
- ”Jun 1992 - Coup attempt”, Keesing’s Record of World Events, Volume 38, June, 1992 Chad, Page 38952.
- ”Chronology for Southerners in Chad” Archived 2010-06-04 at the Wayback Machine, cidcm.umd.edu.
- ”Chad: Information on the circumstances surrounding the death of Abbas Kotti (Koty) and whether there were other deaths or arrests”, Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada (UNHCR.org).
- ”Oct 1993 - Killing of CNRT leader”, Keesing’s Record of World Events, Volume 39, October, 1993 Chad, Page 39674.
Additional Sources
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20