An ambush killed a Moroccan peacekeeper and wounded three others on Sunday in the Central African Republic, the United Nations said, blaming pro-Christian militias for the violence. “A MINUSCA (peacekeeping mission) military convoy was targeted by anti-Balaka,” it said of the clash in the southern city of Bangassou. The country is struggling to emerge from … Read more
About 600 troops from Congo Republic serving as UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic will be returning home following allegations of sex abuse, the United Nations announced on Wednesday. President Denis Sassou Nguesso’s government “decided to withdraw” the troops deployed in the MINUSCA mission after the commander complained of misconduct, a UN statement said. … Read more
About 600 troops from Congo Republic serving as UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic will be returning home following allegations of sex abuse, the United Nations announced on Wednesday. President Denis Sassou Nguesso’s government “decided to withdraw” the troops deployed in the MINUSCA mission after the commander complained of misconduct, a UN statement said. … Read more
More than 600 troops from Congo Republic serving as UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic will be returning home following allegations of sex abuse and other misconduct, UN officials said Monday. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will announce the withdrawal Tuesday during a news conference at the United Nations, officials told AFP. The decision … Read more
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres voiced concern Friday over the “widespread instability” and attacks on UN troops in the Central African Republic, which has been wracked by renewed sectarian violence since last month. One of the world’s poorest nations, the Central African Republic has been struggling to recover from a three-year civil war between the … Read more
The UN force commander in the Central African Republic is calling for hundreds of peacekeepers from Congo Republic to be sent home for sexual abuse, fuel trafficking and poor discipline, according to a confidential memo released Tuesday. Lieutenant-General Balla Keita said Congo should “commit itself to improving without delay the standard of its unit” or … Read more
Chad has strongly objected to a UN report accusing its soldiers of abuses in Central African Republic in an official letter seen by AFP on Friday. “The government of Chad strongly opposes this report which is unfairly written,” said the letter from Justice Minister Ahmat Mahamat Hassan, describing it as “filled with false, defamatory and … Read more
They were attacked by “drugged, drunk and uncontrollable” armed men, and now the residents of a Central African town live in terror after one of the most murderous raids in months was carried out right under the nose of UN troops. At least 108 people were slaughtered and 76 injured during the attack by several … Read more
The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor on Tuesday called for an immediate halt to the renewed sectarian bloodshed in the Central African Republic, warning that war crimes will be punished. Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s call comes amid an upsurge of attacks on civilians and UN peacekeepers, as well as renewed fighting between factions of the Christian … Read more
Armed militias targeting Muslims in the remote Central African Republic town of Bangassou in recent days have killed up to 30 civilians and six U. N. peacekeepers. The U.N. Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic, or MINUSCA, says it is sending reinforcements to Bangassou where it says displaced civilians are seeking refuge … Read more
Another UN peacekeeper has been found dead in the Central African Republic, bringing to five the toll from an attack this week, the deadliest to target the mission so far, the UN spokesman said Thursday. Suspected anti-Balaka Christian militias attacked the UN convoy of the MINUSCA force on Monday in the southeast of the country … Read more
Four UN peacekeepers have been found dead and one remains missing after an attack on a convoy in the Central African Republic (CAR), United Nations officials said on Tuesday. The UN’s MINUSCA mission said the convoy was attacked by fighters of the “anti-Balaka” armed group near Yogofongo village, more than 470km east of the capital, … Read more
A UN peacekeeper was killed and four others were missing following an attack on their convoy in the southeast of Central African Republic, the UN said Tuesday. The convoy was attacked on Monday evening near Yogofongo village, more than 470 kilometres (290 miles) east of the capital Bangui, close to the border with Democratic Republic … Read more
The Central African Republic held unprecedented talks with armed groups this week seeking to speed up disarmament in a country struggling to turn the page on years of bloodshed, officials said Saturday. For the first time since the disarmament process began, the government — facing a resurgence of violence since last September — sat down … Read more
With a spike in militia killings, a deepening humanitarian crisis and the army still in shambles, the Central African Republic’s bid for peace and stability remains elusive. A three-year civil war that erupted in 2013 between Muslim and Christian militias left thousands of people dead and displaced hundreds of thousands of others, disrupting farming, transport … Read more
The United Nations on Thursday proposed a series of new steps aimed at stamping out sex abuse by peacekeepers as a report showed an increase in abuse allegations. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in an annual report that there had been a total of 145 cases of sexual exploitation and abuse involving troops and civilians … Read more
Six French soldiers accused of sexually abusing children in the Central African Republic (CAR) have not been charged following a criminal inquiry. Investigating judges found no evidence to warrant further investigation, the prosecutor’s office in Paris confirmed to the BBC. The assaults allegedly took place at a camp for displaced people near the airport in … Read more
French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian heads to the Central African Republic on Sunday to formally end Operation Sangaris, begun three years ago to halt mass killings there but which failed to disarm militias terrorizing the population. The formal end to the French mission comes as a fresh wave of bloodshed shook the troubled nation, … Read more