Two Accused of Central African Republic War Crimes Begin Trial
The former head of the Central African Republic’s soccer association, Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona, and militant Alfred Yekatom went on trial at the International Criminal Court today for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The men are accused of leading vigilante groups that brutalized the country’s Muslims in 2013 and 2014 (Agence France-Presse)
Aid to Reach Central African Republic’s Capital
For the first time since rebels blocked a transport artery last month, an aid convoy carrying food and medicine reached the Central African Republic’s capital of Bangui. Violence related to the contested December election has impeded food deliveries and inflated prices in the city (Reuters)
CAR Declares State of Emergency
The Central African Republic will enter a fifteen-day state of emergency as armed rebels try to blockade the capital of Bangui. Rebel groups have recently increased violence in a bid to oust President Faustin-Archange Touadera, who was reelected in December (Agence France-Presse)
UN Peacekeeper Killed in CAR
A UN peacekeeper was killed and another two others were wounded in separate ambushes late last week against peacekeeping forces in northern Central African Republic (Al Jazeera)
UN: Thousands Displaced Across CAR
The UN refugee agency said that some sixty thousand people have been displaced from their homes in the Central African Republic, double the number from a week ago, due to rising violence related to the December 27 presidential election (UNHCR)
CAR Security Forces Thwart Attack on Capital
Security forces in the Central African Republic stopped an attack by rebels seeking to seize control of the capital, Bangui, authorities said. Armed groups have opposed President Faustin-Archange Touadera’s victory in the country’s December 27 election and attacked towns near Bangui last month (Reuters)
Central African Republic’s President Reelected
President Faustin-Archange Touadera won nearly 54 percent of votes in the December 27 election, the country’s electoral commission announced. Thousands of people were unable to vote as a coalition of armed rebel groups stirred up violence ahead of the election (Agence France-Presse)
Central African Republic Holds Tense Vote
The country held presidential and legislative elections over the weekend despite clashes between the government and rebel forces near the capital; three UN peacekeepers were killed ahead of the vote. Initial results are expected next week (BBC)
Central African Republic Struggles With Violence Ahead of Elections
UN peacekeepers and government security forces in the Central African Republic are battling rebels who have occupied towns and roads outside of the capital, Bangui, ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections on Sunday. Tensions soared over the weekend as the government accused former President Francois Bozize of planning a coup with a coalition of armed groups. Bozize, who has denied the allegations, was barred from running in the elections by the country’s top court earlier this month. Russia and Rwanda have sent troops to CAR to support the government (Reuters)
Today, UN peacekeepers gained control over the country’s fourth-largest city, Bambari, after rebels seized it yesterday (Agence France-Presse)
Citing the violence, some opposition parties have called for the elections to be postponed, but President Faustin-Archange Touadera has said they will continue as planned (Associated Press)
Former Central African Republic President Accused of Leading Coup
The government said former President Francois Bozize was leading a group of rebel fighters gathering near the capital of Bangui ahead of elections on December 27. Bozize’s spokesperson denied his involvement. UN peacekeepers said that the forces were pushed back from the capital, and that the situation was “under control” (Agence France-Presse)
UN Peacekeeper Killed in CAR
A UN peacekeeper was killed and two others injured when the armed group Return, Reclamation, and Rehabilitation (3R) ambushed a convoy in the Central African Republic’s northwest (Al Jazeera)
Clashes in CAR Kill Twelve Rebels
Twelve fighters from the Popular Front for the Rebirth of Central Africa militant group were killed in a clash with UN peacekeepers and government forces in the Central African Republic’s northeast, a government spokesperson said (Al Jazeera)
CAR Sentences Militia for Crimes Against Humanity
A court sentenced twenty-eight militia members for crimes including the 2017 murders of ten UN peacekeepers in what the minister of justice called the country’s first sentence for crimes against humanity (United Nations)
Clashes in Eastern CAR Kill Fifty
Fighting between rival militias over a town in eastern Central African Republic has killed at least fifty people, according to local officials. UN peacekeepers have been deployed to the area, where the fighting threatens to disrupt a year-old peace agreement (Agence France-Presse)
Armed Groups Clash in CAR
Two armed groups resumed fighting over a town in northeastern Central Africa Republic yesterday according to the UN; the groups, both part of a peace agreement reached last year, began fighting over the town in July 2019 (Agence France-Presse)
Clashes in CAR Kill at Least Thirty
At least thirty people were killed after clashes broke out in the Central African Republic capital of Bangui today, reportedly between traders and Islamist militias over taxes imposed by the militia groups (Agence France-Presse)
Rights Group Documents Rebel Attacks in CAR
Three attacks in Ouham-Pendé province in western Central African Republic in May, perpetrated by the armed rebel group Return, Reclamation, Rehabilitation (3R), killed at least forty-six civilians according to a new report (Human Rights Watch)
Europe Announces €18.85 Million in Aid for Central African Republic
Yesterday, the European Union announced an €18.85 million humanitarian aid package for the Central African Republic in 2019. The funding is targeted towards helping conflict-affected people, preventing violence, providing food aid, and supporting aid delivery (Relief Web)
Attack on Villages in CAR Kills Fifty
At least fifty people were killed in an attack by rebel group in villages in northwest Central African Republic on Tuesday (Al Jazeera)
More Than Thirty Killed in CAR
The UN mission in the Central African Republic reported that more than thirty people were killed and many more wounded in a series of attacks on villages in the northwestern part of the country on Tuesday (Agence France-Presse)
CAR Militia Groups Abandon Peace Deal, Announce Withdrawal From Government
A Central African Republic militia group protested the country’s new government by abandoning a recent peace deal, while another group announced its decision to leave the government. The so-called Khartoum Agreement that was signed last month is the eighth such attempt to bring peace to CAR (Agence France-Presse)
UN World Food Program Airlifts Food to CAR
The UN World Food Program airlifted thirty six metric tons of food to the Central African Republic, the largest such operation conducted since last year. The food supplies were brought to the Zemio region, an unreachable area suffering from a nutritional crisis and insecurity (Voice of America)
CAR Government, Rebel Groups Sign Peace Deal in Khartoum
The Central African government signed a peace deal with fourteen armed groups in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum yesterday. It is the seventh such accord since 2012 (Agence France-Presse)
CAR Holds Rally Protesting UN Arms Embargo
Prime Minister Simplice Sarandji led a rally of some three thousand people in the capital of Bangui calling for the UN Security Council to lift a five-year arms embargo on the country. The body is set to review the embargo on Thursday (Agence France-Presse)
France Gives Weapons to CAR Military
France delivered 1,400 assault weapons to the CAR military to help combat armed groups (Reuters)