Noureddine Adam | |
|---|---|
 Nourredine Adam in April 2018 | |
| Born | (1970-01-01)January 1, 1970 |
| Nationality | Central African Republic |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Popular Front for the Rebirth of Central African Republic |
| Years of service | 2014– |
| Battles / wars | Central African Republic Civil War Sudanese civil war (2023-present) |
| Signature |  |
Noureddine Adam (born 1970) is the leader of theCentral African rebel group, thePopular Front for the Rebirth of Central African Republic (FPRC) in theCentral African Republic Civil War.[1] He was sanctioned by theUnited Nations Security Council in May 2014. He was indicted by theInternational Criminal Court in July 2022 as a suspect of crimes against humanity and war crimes.
An ethnicRunga, he was born in 1970 inN'Délé. His father was animam who served as the leader of the Muslim community in Miskine neighborhood ofBangui.[2] His mother was a Chadian national.[3] After completing secondary school, Adam was trained in Sudan and then in Egypt, where he graduated from the police academy in Cairo in the 1990s[2] after spending 10 years in Egypt.[3] After that, he was trained by theIsraeli Special Forces for six months[3] and then settled for a year in Bangui where he was assigned to the Central Office for the Suppression of Banditism (OCRB).[3] During the early 2000s, he was hired as a bodyguard for dignitaries in various Persian Gulf countries.[2][3] From 2003 to 2009, he stayed in theUAE and was a bodyguard of PresidentZayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.[4] In 2009, he returned to Central African Republic and joined theCPJP rebel group. Following the disappearance ofCharles Massi in 2010, he became the leader of CPJP.[2]
He was second in command toMichel Djotodia of theSéléka coalition of rebels.[5] In March 2013, he played a decisive role in the final offensive in Bangui, which overthrew then incumbent PresidentFrançois Bozizé. After seizing power, President Djotodia appointed him as Minister of Public Security on 31 March 2013 but he was dismissed on 22 August 2013 and appointed national security adviser. After Séléka was officially disbanded in September 2013, Ex-Séléka fighters formed new militias with the largest beingFPRC, which was formed in May 2014 and initially led by Djotodia. He was sanctioned by theUnited Nations Security Council resolution 2134 on 9 May 2014 for:engaging in or providing support for acts that undermine the peace, stability or security of CAR and involving in diamond trafficking between CAR and Chad.[6] As leader of FPRC, Noureddine Adam declared the autonomousRepublic of Logone or Dar El Kuti[7] on 14 December 2015 and intendedBambari as the capital,[7] with the transitional government denouncing the declaration and the UN peacekeeping missionMINUSCA stating it will use force against any separatist attempt.[5] By late 2016, the civil war was largely fighting between FPRC and a rival ex-Séléka faction called theUnion for Peace in the Central African Republic (UPC) led byAli Darassa.
On 17 December 2020, an FPRC faction led by Noureddine Adam joined theCoalition of Patriots for Change, while the faction led byAbdoulaye Hissène remained committed to the 2019 peace agreement.[8]
On 28 July 2022, theInternational Criminal Court (ICC) made public an arrest warrant against Adam as a suspect of crimes against humanity and war crimes.[9] In August 2023 he was injured during theBattle of Nyala while fighting on the side ofRapid Support Forces.[10]