Central African Republic: Minusca forces return to Bangui

The United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) announced Monday the arrival of its first convoy of humanitarian aid in Bangui, since the blockade of the capital by rebels 50 days ago.

On December 19, rebels who already occupy two thirds of the Central African Republic launched an offensive with the aim of overthrowing the regime of President Faustin Archange Touadéra.

This Monday, fourteen trucks of UN humanitarian aid escorted by the Blue Helmets0. Among them, nine belonged to the World Food Program (WFP), the others contained equipment dedicated to Minusca.

More than 1600 trucks had been blocked at the Cameroonian border since then. It is through this strategic zone that almost all the goods imported by the Central African Republic arrive.

As the country is completely landlocked in the heart of the continent, food arrives by road via neighboring Cameroon.

Questioned by AFP, the spokesman for the Minusca, Vladimir Monteiro, did not specify whether the delivery of this convoy had been allowed thanks to the presence of peacekeepers and their protection or with the agreement of the rebels.

What is happening in the Central African Republic?

Since a coalition of armed groups overthrew  President François Bozizé in 2013, the Central African Republic has been undergoing a civil war. The conflict between these movements and self-defense militias allied with deposed President François Bozizé lasted until 2018. Since then, the intensity of the clashes had mostly decreased.

But on December 19, 2020, eight days before the presidential election, a coalition of six rebel groups opposed to the re-election of President Faustin Archange Touadéra (elected to power in December 2016) announced an offensive and a "march on Bangui".

When President Faustin Archange Touadéra was re-elected on December 27, 2020 in a controversial poll, the rebels failed to march into the city, despite two attacks on the gates of the capital on January 13, 2021.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)