Even though normalcy is slowly picking up in the Central African Republic, the state has experienced severe episodes of violence. International agencies like the United Nations and neighboring African states have extended aid in troops’ form to maximize security.
Rebel Attacks
According to the United Nations mission in the country, rebel forces staged an attack on the country’s capital’s outskirts on Wednesday. The troops only retreated after the UN forces (Blue Helmets), and the Central African Republic chased them. That was the first time the rebels attacked near the capital amid President Faustin’s regime. Mr. Faustine Archange Touadera, who recently got re-elected after winning over a disputed vote, promised his citizens to restore peace in the country. His victory had sparked protests among his none supporters who alleged he had rigged the polls.
The attacks targetted two army brigades, which were camping about 9 kilometers and 12 kilometers from Bangui. Although the rebels ran off, a member of the Rwandan force succumbed while another sustained injuries. MINUSCA, a UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the region, also remarked that the soldiers assassinated most attackers and arrested some.
In a way, the situation in the Central Africa Republic has been a tit for tat game. I.e., the rebels ambush and kill at one point, and the next time they are mercilessly assassinated. Reuters reported that a witness stated hearing explosions before seeing helicopters flying over Bangui. Another one said they heard gun fires and were forced to stay at home for fear of stray bullets. And it was not long before the situation in northern Bangui cooled off.
Firmin Ngrebada, the Prime Minister of the Central African Republic, posted on Facebook that the attackers had come in large numbers to take over Bangui, though they failed. He also urged the citizens to remain calm for the situation was under control. The recent attacks were the most recent since the rebels allied with other rebels in the country.
France Troops Abstain from Rebel Attacks
General Jean Pierre, a top French General, remarked that it was no longer necessary for France to engage in CAR attacks as the situation was different from the 2013 rebellion. He stated that CAR had enough troops to battle the attackers. Therefore, France has mainly remained uninvolved during the latest rebel attacks.
Russia and Rwanda have supplied the Central African Republic with enough troops to back their government. Similarly, a separate UN peacekeeping mission also operates in the country. In 2013, France sent its troops to intervene over the constant rebel attacks in Central Africa. The attacks began when Muslim Seleka fighters toppled former President Bozize, prompting the Christian anti- Balaka militia to revenge.
“We are not in the same situation as in 2013. Eleven thousand men belong to MINUSCA (a UN peacekeeping mission) and the Central African army, so the conditions are not the same,” General Jean Pierre Perrin, who heads up a French military base in neighboring Gabon, said during a visit to Bangui on Friday.
Meanwhile, about 300 Paris soldiers are still working in CAR as part of the European military training mission.
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