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Rachid Ammar

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Rachid Ammar (Template:Lang-ar)(1947 or 1948- ) is the chief of staff of the Tunisian army.[1] On January 13, 2011, Ammar refused to follow the orders of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, then president of Tunisia, to shoot protesters participating in the 2010–2011 Tunisian protests.[1] He responded to the order, "Agree to deploy soldiers to calm the situation, but the army does not shoot the people".[2] Ben Ali then sacked Ammar for not obeying his order and put him under house arrest.[2][3] On January 14, Ben Ali fled Tunisia and Ammar was reinstated by Mohamed Ghannouchi.[2][4] On January 15, The Economist Online reported that the Tunisian military was being led by Ammar.[4] The New York Times reported there was speculation that Ammar will take over the country and become president.[5] The Egyptian newspaper Almasry Alyoum reported that the embassy of the United States had told Ammar to take control of Tunisia if the country became politically unstable.[6] Almasry Alyoum also reported that the uprising had "shocked" the military.[6]

Biography

Born in either 1947 or 1948, Ammar is from Sayada, a small town on the coast of Tunisia.[2]

Ammar was promoted to chief of staff from the rank of colonel after the chief of staff, Rashid Skik Abdelaziz, was killed in a 2002 helicopter crash.[7] The same helicopter crash also killed five colonels, four majors and two lieutenants.[2][8]

Ammar is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and was received along with other members of the council by Ali at a ceremony during the summer of 2010. There, Ammar was promoted by Ben Ali from the rank of Divisional General to that of Corps General.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/16/world/africa/16tunis.html
  2. ^ a b c d e Samy, Ghorbal (16 January 2011). English Translation "Rachid Ammar, homme fort de la Tunisie : « L'armée ne tire pas »". Rue89. Archived from the original on 19 January 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2011. {{cite news}}: Check |archiveurl= value (help)
  3. ^ "Tunisia protests: Live bullets fired in central Tunis". BBC. 13 January 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  4. ^ a b "A Dictator Deposed". The Economist Online. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  5. ^ Kirkpatrick, David (16 January 2011). "Two Officials Tied to Former President Are Held in Tunisia". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Tunisian officer: Washington tells dismissed chief of staff to 'take charge'". Al-Masry Al-Youm. 16 January 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2011.
  7. ^ Maher, ed. Joanne (2006). The Middle East and North Africa 2007 (53. ed. ed.). London: Routledge. p. 1076. ISBN 9781857433906. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); |first= has generic name (help)
  8. ^ "Tunisian army chief dies in air crash". BBC. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  9. ^ Loua (25 June 2010). "President Ben Ali Receives Members of the Higher Armies Council". Retrieved 16 January 2011.
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