Central African Republic: CPC rebels release 19 soldiers kidnapped in mid-February

The 19 soldiers arrived on Wednesday 5 April in Birao, before being transferred to the capital Bangui. Here, a soldier in the town near the border between the Central African Republic and Chad, which has been the prey of numerous attacks (ilustration). AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

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In the Central African Republic, 10 of the 19 soldiers of the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) liberated by the CPC rebellion arrived in Bangui on Wednesday afternoon, April 5, where they were welcomed by several members of the government. The others are expected tomorrow in the capital. The Red Cross, which picked them up, organized their repatriation after a night spent in Birao, in the north-east of the country. Upon their arrival at the airport, Defence Minister Claude Rameaux Bireau expressed his "relief" and said that health monitoring would be ensured before the soldiers returned to their families. They remained in rebel hands for nearly two months after their capture on February 14. The 20th prisoner is in Chad for medical treatment, and will be released later.

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As soon as the village of Sikikedé in Vakaga province was captured, during which the men were taken prisoner on 14 February, the CPC announced its intention to hand them over to the international community.

But these releases took longer than expected, the discussions dragged on: the rebels blame the government. In their statement, they accuse Bangui of having wanted to "write off these men": "Faustin-Archange Touadéra wanted to see them dead rather than alive in order to accuse the CPC of crimes and discredit its fight," wrote the group's military spokesman Mamadou Koura.

The CPC says it turned to the mediator of the Republic Laurent Ngon Baba and to the Swiss organization Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, without success.

Finally, the rebels released the soldiers on Tuesday, April 4 in a "unilateral" way, they say, by entrusting them to the Red Cross, because they mobilized too many resources, especially for their guard. The ICRC then received them in Birao, in the north-east of the country, and then transferred them to Bangui on Wednesday afternoon, where they were welcomed by Defence Minister Claude Rameaux Bireau.

The spokesman of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant-Colonel Kpako, nevertheless denies the accusations of "abandonment": "the thread of negotiations has never been broken and the releases are the result of the continued involvement of the authorities and the international community," he said.

Before their release on Tuesday (April 4th), President Touadéra had assured in an official speech on Thursday that "everything was being done" for these releases.

► To listen also Central African Republic: what security, political and social situation?

Central African Republic: CPC rebels release 19 soldiers kidnapped in mid-February

Central African Republic: CPC rebels release 19 soldiers kidnapped in mid-February

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