Attacks resumed Tuesday, December 22 in the Central African Republic with the capture of the country's fourth city by rebels, five days before the presidential and legislative elections and Moscow dispatched 300 "military instructors" to help the government which denounces an attempted coup. 'State.
The fourth city of the Central African Republic, Bambari, some 380 km northeast of the capital Bangui, fell on Tuesday into the hands of the Unit for Peace in the Central African Republic (UPC), one of the many armed groups that share more than the two. -thirds of the Central African Republic.
In the west of the country, three more of these groups, which have made an alliance and now form a coalition, attacked major roads vital to supplying the capital.
Fighting took place on Tuesday in both areas.
Bambari was taken without "violence against the inhabitants" but the rebels looted the police station, the gendarmerie and the homes of individuals, "Abel Matchipata, mayor of Bambari, told AFP.
The attack gave rise to two hours of exchanges of fire with the army and peacekeepers from the UN Mission in the Central African Republic (Minusca), senior NGO and UN officials said.
Resumption of fighting
On the other side of the capital, fighting has resumed on National Road 1, the vital axis that connects Bangui to Cameroon.
The town of Boali, located on this road about 60 kilometers from Bangui, was quiet Tuesday morning, according to an AFP journalist.
At around 1:00 p.m., a convoy of commercial trucks coming from Bangui, heading for Cameroon, was dissuaded from going any further by elements of the Central African armed forces.
Fighting had broken out, a few tens of kilometers away.
The population got scared.
Women and children of the city took refuge 6 km from the city, in camps in the bush, men who remained in the city told AFP.
A few hours later, several pick-ups arrived at the Bangui community hospital with their rear platforms full of wounded, AFP journalists reported.
At the same time, Russia announced in the afternoon that it had sent "300 additional military instructors" to the Central African Republic, where it supports the authorities in place.
"To help Bangui to strengthen the defensive capacities of the Central African Republic, Russia responded quickly to the request of the (Central African) government and sent 300 additional instructors for the training of the national army," said the Russian Foreign Ministry, in a press release.
Russian presence
The day before, Moscow had maintained that it had not sent troops there, going against an announcement by the Central African government that it had sent "several hundred" Russian soldiers and heavy equipment. within the framework of a bilateral cooperation agreement.
A senior Russian diplomat, Mikhail Bogdanov, had specified that Russia had "naturally people there, by virtue of our agreements with the Central African government, of our agreements on the training of executives and the work of our instructors".
In this country of 4.9 million inhabitants classified among the poorest in the world but rich in diamonds, private guards employed by Russian security companies already provide close protection for President Faustin Archange Touadéra and instructors train the armed forces Central African women.
On Saturday, the government accused former President François Bozizé, whose presidential candidacy was invalidated, of "attempted coup".
But the elections continue to be prepared in the country with the incumbent president as the favorite.
The latter maintained Monday at a press conference that they would take place on Sunday, as planned.
He also ruled out negotiating with the rebels.
"Negotiate how, in what form? You can see that there are attacks, we do not have time to negotiate, we do not know with whom to negotiate," he said.
With AFP
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