Fighting in eastern Central Africa: one soldier dead and several civilians killed
Members of the Central African Armed Forces in January 2021. AFP - FLORENT VERGNES
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In the Central African Republic, a Central African soldier was killed, a peacekeeper and several civilians injured in Obo in the far east of the country on Monday according to corroborating sources.
If the different parties agree on the results, the sources differ on the other hand on the causes of the incident.
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With our correspondent in Bangui,
Carol Valade
At around 8:00 p.m., this Monday, July 27 in the evening, shots were heard in the town of Obo, in the far east of the country, for a few hours then the guns fell silent.
A Central African soldier lost his life, a lieutenant nicknamed "Sangaris".
A peacekeeper was also hit.
He is currently in stable condition.
Several civilians are also injured, including a young girl, according to local sources.
Stores have been looted or set on fire.
"
Coordinated
" action
In a statement, the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic, (Minsuca), speaks of a "
coordinated
"
attack
on the city, by elements "
supposed to belong to the UPC
".
"
Intense fighting,
" said a source, may be linked to the arrest in early July of several members of the armed group.
But other sources, including Obo deputy Ernest Mizedio, evoke a "
clash
" between Central African soldiers and the Moroccan contingent of Minusca.
The tension was still high last night between the two parties.
A UN source reports blockages and threats to its facilities.
"
The city is deserted, the excitement is immense, the population has taken refuge in the Church
", testifies the sub-prefect Dieudonné Yapoulela Youffi, in a relatively calm locality in recent months.
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