Soumaila Bakayoko (soldier)
Soumaila Bakayoko | |
---|---|
![]() Bakayoko as FNCI commander, 2008 | |
Born | December 31, 1953 Babien, Seguela Department, Ivory Coast |
Allegiance | FNCI (2002-2011) FACI (2011-2017) |
Rank | Army Corps General |
Commands | Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (FNCI, FACI) |
Other work | Chairman of the Board of the Directors of the Ivorian Refining Company (2018-present) |
Soumaila Bakayoko is a Ivorian soldier who served as the chief of staff of the Forces Nouvelles de Côte d'Ivoire. He is close to Guillaume Soro. When Alassane Ouattara became president in 2011, Bakayoko was appointed chief of staff of the Ivorian Armed Forces. He was dismissed from his position in 2017 and has served as the director of the Ivorian Refining Company since 2018.
Biography
Bakayoko was born on December 31, 1953 in Babien, Séguéla Department, in French-occupied Ivory Coast. He attended the Bingerville Preparatory Technical Military School.[1] Bakayoko joined the Ivorian Armed Forces on September 10, 1975 and became a second lieutenant in 1979.[2]
When the First Ivorian Civil War broke out in 2002, Bakayoko was a colonel and had been serving in the 1st Engineering Battalion of Bouaké since 1999.[2] He defected to the rebels.[2] In 2003, he became Chief of Staff of the Forces Nouvelles.[3] After 2005, he was assisted by Issiaka Ouattara, another warlord.[3] That same year, he became a brigadier general.[2] However, Bakayoko didn't control military operations; this was done by Ouattara and Cherif Ousmane.[4][5] Bakayoko also served as the liaison for the Forces Nouvelles in the Integrated Command Center of Philippe Mangou, the chief of staff of the Government army.[4]
On July 7, 2011, Bakayoko was promoted to divisional general and appointed chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Ivory Coast (AFCI), succeeding Mangou.[6] Bakayoko was responsible for integrating former members of the Forces Nouvelles and the current Armed Forces.[4][5] He became an army corps general on August 6, 2012.[7] Bakayoko was implicated in the Bassole-Soro wiretap affair in 2015.[8] Following the 2017 Ivory Coast mutinies, Bakayoko was dismissed from chief of staff and replaced by Sékou Touré.[9]
In 2018, Bakayoko was appointed as the chairman of the board of directors of the Ivorian Refining Company.[10]
References
- ^ Yao, Elysée (2012-03-21). "Le parcours des enfants de troupe". www.linfodrome.com. Retrieved 2025-08-16.
- ^ a b c d Bahi, K. (July 9, 2011). "Après les nominations dans la hiérarchie des forces républicaines : Qui sont les hommes du grand commandement ?". Nord-Sud via Abidjan. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ a b "L'abîme ivoirien". L'Express (in French). 2005-03-27. Retrieved 2025-08-16.
- ^ a b c Niada, Assane (July 9, 2011). "Nommé chef d`état-major de l`armée : Forces et faiblesses de Soumaila Bakayoko". L'inter via Abidjan. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ a b Sangare, Malick (March 9, 2018). "Soumaila Bakayoko: Des armes au petrole". Journal d'Abidjan. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ "Cote d'Ivoire: Le général Soumaïla Bakayoko, nouveau chef d'Etat major des armées". Fasozine via AllAfrica. July 7, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ "Le maître de cérémonie annonce la promotion du général Soumaïla Bakayoko". L'Intelligent via Abidjan. August 8, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ "Burkina/Putsch : Un haut gradé de l'armée ivoirienne mis en cause dans des écoutes téléphoniques (médias)". Xinhua. January 23, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
- ^ "Côte Ivoire: le président Ouattara limoge les chefs des forces de sécurité". RFI (in French). 2017-01-09. Retrieved 2025-08-16.
- ^ "Côte d'Ivoire : le reclassement de Soumaïla Bakayoko, signe d'un dégel entre Ouattara et Soro". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2025-08-16.