Téné Birahima Ouattara

Téné Birahima Ouattara (born 1955/56)[1] is an Ivorian politician who is currently the Minister of Defense of Ivory Coast. He has previously served as the country's Minister of Presidential Affairs and head of the national intelligence department. He is the brother of Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara.

Téné Birahima Ouattara
Minister of Defense of Ivory Coast
Assumed office
8 March 2021
(Acting until 6 April 2021)
PresidentAlassane Ouattara
Prime MinisterPatrick Achi
(Acting until 26 March 2021)
Preceded byHamed Bakayoko
Minister of Presidential Affairs
In office
2012–2019
PresidentAlassane Ouattara
Prime MinisterJeannot Ahoussou-Kouadio (2012)
Daniel Kablan Duncan (2012–2017)
Amadou Gon Coulibaly (2017–2019)
Preceded byHamed Bakayoko
Personal details
Born1955/56
Political partyRally of the Republicans
RelativesAlassane Ouattara (brother)

Early life

Téné Birahima Ouattara has 11 brothers and one sister.[1] He is the younger brother of Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara.[2] Due to similarities in their appearance, Téné Birahima Ouattara has been nicknamed Photocopie (photocopy).[2] He graduated from the University of Abidjan in economics in 1982. He worked for 10 years for Société Générale Ivory Coast, and worked as the bank's director general. He then worked for Atlantic Bank Ivory Coast from 1992 to 1999, and then for SNG.[3]

Career

Ouattara was a founding member of the Rassemblement des Républicains (Rally of the Republicans),[2] and has been the party's treasurer.[4] He has been a member of the Ivory Coast's National Security Council.[1] In 2011, he became a Member of Parliament for Kong.[4] That year, Ouattra also became head of the Ivory Coast Treasury. In the role, he reduced the running cost of the president's office by around 500 million CFA francs, including through the reduction of 900 staff.[4] In 2013, he became leader of Kong town council,[2] succeeding his brother Gaoussou, who had held the role since 1995. At the 2016 Ivorian parliamentary election, Ouattra won 99.76% of the votes in the Kong area.[5] In 2018, he left the role in Kong,[2] and became leader of Tchologo regional council.[6]

In March 2012, Ouattara became the Minister of Presidential Affairs.[3] In the role, he had authority in the Ivorian Republican Guard and the Security Group of the President.[7] Following a cabinet reshuffle in 2019, Ouattra was replaced as Minister of Presidential Affairs, and not given a role in his brother's cabinet.[8] In February 2019, he was appointed head of the national intelligence department (ULGB).[9] He was heavily criticised after a 2020 attack in Kafolo, near to the border with Burkina Faso, killed 13 soldiers.[10]

In March 2021, Ouattra became the acting Minister of Defense of Ivory Coast, after Hamed Bakayoko was taken ill.[7][11] After Bakayoko's death, Ouattra continued as the acting Minister of Defense.[12] On 6 April 2021, Ouattara was confirmed as the new Minister of Defense.[13]

References
  1. "Profession, frère ou sœur de chef d'Etat en Afrique !". La Tribune (in French). 11 July 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  2. "Côte d'Ivoire : "Photocopie", le frère du président, a pris la tête de la région de Tchologo". Jeune Afrique (in French). 18 October 2018. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  3. "Côte d'Ivoire: qui est Téné Birahima Ouattara, le nouveau ministre de la Défense par intérim ?". Financial Afrik (in French). 11 March 2021. Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  4. "Côte-d'Ivoire: Gros plan sur Birahima Téné, dans l'ombre de son grand frère le président Ouattara/ce qu'il faut savoir" (in French). Abidjan.net. 2017. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  5. "Côte d'Ivoire : Kong, capitale d'un empire disparu devenue le fief electoral d'Alassane Ouattara". Jeune Afrique (in French). 18 October 2018. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  6. "Côte d'Ivoire : Après Bictogo, Guillaume Soro s'attaque à Téné Birahima Ouattara". Afrique Sur 7 (in French). 4 January 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  7. "Côte d'Ivoire : Hamed Bakayoko absent, Patrick Achi est nommé Premier ministre par intérim". Jeune Afrique (in French). 8 March 2021. Archived from the original on 11 March 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  8. "Ouattara éjecte son frère Téné Birahima Ouattara du Gouvernement". Afrique Sur 7 (in French). 4 September 2019. Archived from the original on 10 August 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  9. "Côte d'Ivoire: L'ULGB, une unité de l'armée commandée par Téné Birahima Ouattara". Afrique Sur 7 (in French). 28 February 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  10. "COMMENT TÉNÉ BIRAHIMA OUATTARA CHERCHE ABSOLUMENT À IMPLIQUER GUILLAUME SORO". Media Part (in French). 19 June 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  11. "Ivory Coast President Ouattara Names Patrick Achi as Interim Prime Minister". U.S. News & World Report. 8 March 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  12. "Ivory Coast pays tribute to the late Prime Minister Hamed Bakayoko". Africa News. 17 March 2021. Archived from the original on 17 March 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  13. "Ivorian president Ouattara appoints younger brother as Defence Minister". Africanews. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
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