European security officials are seeing a growing risk of attacks by Islamists radicalised by the Israel-Hamas war, with the biggest threat likely to come from "lone wolf" assailants who are hard to track.
More than 10 intelligence and police officials in five European countries including Britain,
Central African Republic President Touadera re-elected
Only about half of the country’s electorate, or around 910,000 people, registered to vote in the elections and hundreds of thousands of people in areas held by rebels were unable to cast their ballots.
The Central Africa Republic has experienced years of armed conflict. The government signed a peace agreement with more than a dozen armed groups in early 2019 but violence is rife and rebels control vast areas of territory outside of Bangui.
Russia and Rwanda last month dispatched support, comprising heavily-armed Rwandan troops and Russian paramilitaries, to shore up Touadera s government.
Despite the presence of UN peacekeepers, as well as French, Russian and Rwandan soldiers violence persists
Central African Republic: CAR - Violence Casts Shadow Over Elections allafrica.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from allafrica.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
DW News Africa with Christine Mhundwa, 22 December 2020
In the capital Bangui, 380 km (240 miles) northwest from Bambari, businesses closed on Wednesday and people holed up in their homes.
Residents there doubted elections could take place safely on Sunday. All around us, in our provinces, the rebels have taken over. How can we hold elections under these conditions? That worries me very much, one Bangui resident told DW.
Another was considering sending his family away from the capital: I remember the horror we went through in 2012-2013, he said, referring to a period punctuated by rebel fighting and a succession of coups. I am so afraid that this new rebel coalition will return to the city of Bangui.