Eric D. B.

In the Central African Republic, Eric D. B. was a “liberator”, the name given to the supporters of General François Bozizé who brought him to power in 2003, overthrowing President Ange-Félix Patassé.

Eric D. B. is a member of the Gbaya ethnic group and became an officer in the anti-Balaka militias. These groups were formed to fight the Séléka militias, an alliance of rebels from the northern regions of the Central African Republic, which are predominantly Muslim. The Séléka militias overthrew President Bozizé in 2013.

Since 2014, François Bozizé has been subject to United Nations sanctions for organizing attacks from exile through the anti-Balaka militias. According to the UN, the massacres allegedly claimed a total of 3,000 to 6,000 victims between 2013 and 2015, mainly civilians.

Eric D. B. reportedly arrived in France in 2014, after fleeing the Central African Republic with associates of President Bozizé. France and Monaco have frozen Eric D. B.’s assets, accusing him of working “to destabilize the Central African Republic” and “committing an act of terrorism”.

Amnesty International France recalls that everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty according to law.