UN soldiers and Central African Republic army forces retake rebel-held town
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23/12/2020 - 19:45 UN peacekeepers retook the north-eastern town of Bambari a day after it was captured by militia fighters. AFP/File 3 min UN peacekeepers and national security forces have retaken the Central African Republic s fourth-largest town a day after it was seized by rebels. Advertising Read more
“The situation in Bambari is under control, said Abdoulaziz Fall, a spokesman for the 14,000-strong UN peackeeping mission Minusca on Wednesday. The civilians are starting to return. The armed groups have been pushed back into the bush,” he added.
On Wednesday evening the French president, Emmanuel Macron, condemned the unrest less than a week before presidential and parliamentary elections.
Bambari city is in the hands of United Nations peacekeepers and national security forces, the UN said.
The attacks followed government accusations that ex-president Francois Bozize was plotting a coup with armed groups ahead of the elections.
Civilians had not been attacked, but the police station, gendarmerie and some homes had been ransacked.
The Central African Republic s fourth-largest town, which was seized by rebels on Tuesday ahead of elections this weekend, is in the hands of United Nations peacekeepers and national security forces, the UN said. The situation in Bambari is under control, Abdoulaziz Fall, spokesperson for the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSCA, told a press conference in the CAR capital Bangui on Wednesday.
Daily Monitor
Tuesday December 22 2020
Rwandan Soldiers march at a past event in Kigali. Rwanda has sent a new contingent of soldiers to the Central African Republic (CAR) to quell election violence and protect peacekeepers. PHOTO | FILE | NMG
Summary
Bozize, 74, who denies the coup plot allegations, slipped back into the country in December 2019 after years in exile, sparking fears of a comeback.
Former Prime Minister Anicet-Georges Dologuele, Touadera s main challenger who has Bozize s backing, on Monday called for a truce to avoid the worst .
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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.
published : 21 Dec 2020 at 18:45 Touadera is touted as the likely winner in the presidential election, but his government only controls a third of CAR territory
BANGUI (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC) - The Central African Republic said Monday that Russia and Rwanda had sent in hundreds of troops after an alleged attempted coup ahead of weekend elections.
The government in CAR, one of the world s poorest and most unstable countries, on Saturday accused former president Francois Bozize of fomenting a would-be putsch by three rebel groups.
The three groups on Friday started to advance on the capital Bangui along key highways after declaring an alliance, the government said.