Central African Republic: clashes between 3R rebels and the army near the Cameroonian border
On the road between Bouar and Bossembélé in CAR. RFI/Olivier Fourt
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A new rebel attack took place in the Ouham Pendé prefecture in western CAR. It targeted Wagner's Russian paramilitaries and soldiers of the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) based in the capital of the sub-prefecture of Bossemptélé, some 380 km northwest of Bangui. The 3R armed group, on behalf of the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), claimed responsibility for the attack.
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It was the sound of weapons that woke up the population of the city very early at dawn. The 3R rebels launched their attack around 6 a.m. They simultaneously targeted the base of the Russian paramilitaries of Wagner, that of the Faca as well as Central African soldiers who were on guard at a barrier erected on the Bangui-Douala road in Cameroon, the main supply route of the country.
The assault lasted about forty minutes. The FACA and the Russians retaliated with heavy weapons and managed to repel the attackers, with the help of a Rwandan contingent of MINUSCA based in the same city, according to the mayor of Bossemptélé, who says there were no casualties among his citizens.
« Everything is closed, markets, schools, shops"
The city's more than 37,000 inhabitants were not targeted, explains Vincent de Paul Ouessé-Ali, but people are traumatized by many years of war. "So some fled immediately into the bush," the administrative official added.
The tension was still palpable in the middle of the afternoon, heavy detonations were still heard intermittently while the inhabitants were holed up in their homes. "Everything is closed, markets, schools, shops, and everyone is in their house to avoid any incident," confirmed the mayor of the city.
Seven Russian paramilitaries were seriously wounded, as well as three Faca soldiers, according to another administrative source. No assessment was communicated on the rebel side.
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- Central African Republic