Faustin-Archange Touadéra

Biography

Faustin-Archange Touadéra was born in Bangui in 1957, the son of a driver and a farmer. After secondary school in Bangui he studied at the University of Bangui and the University of Abidjan, and earned doctorates in mathematics from Lille University of Science and Technology in 1986 and from the University of Yaoundé in 2004.

He began teaching mathematics at the University of Bangui in 1987, was vice-dean of its science faculty from 1989 to 1992 and then directed the teachers' training college. He chaired a regional committee on mathematics curricula for French-speaking countries from 2001 to 2003, and served as rector of the University of Bangui from 2005 to 2008.

President François Bozizé appointed him prime minister in January 2008. He led two governments, the second including former rebels, until he was dismissed in January 2013 under a peace deal with the Séléka coalition. Standing as an independent, he won the 2015-16 presidential election in the second round and was sworn in on 30 March 2016.

As president he has faced continuing armed conflict and relied increasingly on Russia and the Wagner Group. He was re-elected in 2020-21, pushed through a 2023 referendum that removed presidential term limits, and won a third term in the 2025-26 election amid opposition boycotts and complaints of repression. His government briefly made Bitcoin legal tender in 2022.