Ali Darassa Mahamat (born 22 September 1978),[1] also known as Ali Daras and Ali Ndarass is a Nigerian leader of the Central African rebel group, the Union for Peace in the Central African Republic (UPC), which is dominant around Bambari.[2] He is an ethnic Fula[3] and his UPC is largely Fula. Darassa was the right-hand man of Chadian rebel leader, Abdel Kader Baba-Laddé until Baba-Laddé abandoned his armed struggle in September 2012.[4] The UPC is an Ex-Séléka faction made up of disbanded members of the former rebel coalition known as Séléka. Starting in November 2016, another Ex-Séléka faction, the FPRC, allied with their former enemy, the Anti-balaka, and attacked UPC.[5][6] The fighting displaced 20,000 and was ethnic in nature with the FPRC singling out Fulani people.[7][6] He is reportedly well studied in past UN peacekeeping missions in order to deal with the peacekeeping mission known as MINUSCA in the country.[8]
Ali Darassa Mahamat | |
|---|---|
 Ali Darassa (in purple suit) surrounded by his men in Ngakobo | |
| Born | 22 September 1978 |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Other names | Ali Daras, Ali Darrassa, Ali, Ali Darassa Mahamant |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | Union for Peace in the Central African Republic |
| Years of service | 2014-present |
On 17 December 2021, the U.S. Department of the Treasury said in a statement that it was seizing all of Ali Darassa's US assets, and criminalizing transactions with him "for serious human rights abuses", stemming from his leadership of the UPC.[9][10]
On 21 September 2023, the Bangui Court of Appeal sentenced Darassa in absentia to a life sentence of forced labor for “conspiracy” and “rebellion”. Darassa is condemned for his role in the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC).[11]