The Central African public prosecutor's office opens an investigation into the arrest of four French soldiers
The French soldiers arrested on Monday February 21, 2022 in Bangui are members of Minusca.
Florent Vergnes AFP/Archivos
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
The Bangui High Court has decided to open an investigation following the arrest of four French soldiers on Monday February 21 at Bangui airport.
The announcement was made this Tuesday, February 22 by a press release read on national radio by the public prosecutor Laurent Lengande, a little more than 24 hours after the facts.
The Blue Helmets are still being held and the UN is calling for their release.
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With our correspondent in Bangui,
Carol Valade
It is the presence of a “ suspicious
” vehicle
that alerts the security forces deployed around the airport to the arrival of President Touadéra.
“
A vehicle followed by the intelligence services for two months
”, indicates the public prosecutor.
On board, legionnaires of French, Italian, Bulgarian and Romanian nationality according to the prosecution.
“
The close protection team of the Minusca chief of staff
”, explain France and the UN.
Team responsible for escorting General Stéphane Marchenoir leaving for Paris.
Prosecutor Lengande is surprised to see them using an unmarked, armored black 4x4 with tinted windows and Central African registration, instead of the traditional white vehicles stamped United Nations.
Then the prosecutor makes an inventory of the seized military effects: four pistols, three assault rifles as well as a mini-machine gun and grenades.
Images of soldiers and their equipment flooded social networks on Monday evening, accompanied by accusations of "attempts" to assassinate the Central African president, of which France and Minusca denounce a disinformation campaign.
Central African authorities have so far declined to comment on the case.
“
These soldiers of the French army belong to the body of the Foreign Legion and are still detained by the Central African authorities
,” a French army official in Africa told AFP in the evening on condition of anonymity.
“
They carry UN identification cards
” and “
are not free
”, still “
detained by the Central African gendarmerie
”, said Stéphane Dujarric, during his daily press briefing.
"
The force commander
" of UN peacekeepers and the deputy of the UN envoy in this country "
were received by the president in order to deal with this file
", he indicated.
"
Everyone is trying to unravel this so that we can see the release of the four soldiers as soon as possible
,” he said.
This announcement comes on the very day that France and the United States accused, through the voice of their ambassadors before the UN Security Council, the "
mercenaries
" of the Russian private security company Wagner of having "
executed
" and "
massacred
" dozens of civilians.
And to carry out a " systematic
" campaign
of "
terror
" in the Central African Republic where they are fighting the rebels alongside the regular army.
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