C.Africa says Russian, Rwandan troops sent after alleged coup bid Published on Share
The Central African Republic said Monday that Russia and Rwanda had sent in hundreds of troops after an alleged attempted coup ahead of upcoming elections.
Rwanda confirmed soldiers had been deployed under a bilateral agreement, while Russia denied any troops had been sent, although it noted that personnel were there under an accord with the troubled country.
The CAR government accused former president Francois Bozize at the weekend of seeking to foment a putsch by three militias ahead of a general election to be held on December 27.
On Tuesday, a militia called Unity for Peace in Central Africa (UPC) overran Bambari.
Sources said two hours of fighting ensued with MINUSCA, the UN s peacekeeping mission in the CAR.
The town mayor said on Tuesday that civilians had not been attacked, but the police station, gendarmerie and some homes had been ransacked.
Election tensions
Bozize came to power in a coup in 2003. But he was overthrown himself in 2013.
The 74-year-old former general came back into the country in December 2019 after years in exile-
Bozize has a large following, especially among the Gbaya ethnic group, the country s largest, and has many supporters in the army.
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Portuguese peacekeeping troops headed out on Tuesday towards Boali, a town on the key RN1 highway where rebels had clashed with security forces ALEXIS HUGUET Text size
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The Central African Republic s fourth-largest town, which was seized by rebels Tuesday ahead of elections this weekend, is back in the hands of UN peacekeepers and national security forces, the UN said Wednesday.
The rebel attacks followed government accusations at the weekend that ex-president Francois Bozize was plotting a coup with armed groups ahead of presidential and legislative elections next Sunday. The situation in Bambari is under control, Abdoulaziz Fall, spokesman for the UN s peacekeeping force in the CAR, told a news conference in the capital Bangui.
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The Central African Republic’s fourth-largest town, which was seized by rebel fighters on Tuesday ahead of next week’s elections, is now in the hands of United Nations peacekeepers and national security forces.
“The situation in Bambari is under control,” Abdoulaziz Fall, spokesman for the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSCA, told a press conference in the capital, Bangui, on Wednesday.
“The civilians are starting to return. The armed groups have been pushed back into the bush.”
The attacks followed government accusations that former president Francois Bozize was plotting a coup with armed groups ahead of presidential and legislative elections that will take place this Sunday.