African pro-government forces recapture strategic city: spokesperson

Pro-government forces in the Central African Republic have recaptured a strategic town northwest of the capital Bangui which had been partially rebel-held since December 27, a government spokesperson said on Tuesday.

“The city of Bouar has been taken over by the Central African armed forces and their allies,” Ange-Maxime Kazagui told AFP.

The government generally refers to Rwandan soldiers and Russian paramilitaries deployed in the country as allied forces.

They deployed to consolidate the government of the Central African Republic and exhausted the military.

After six of the country’s most powerful armed groups that controlled about two-thirds of the country formed an alliance in December, they launched an offensive against the government of President Faustin Archange Touadera.

They took Bouar on December 27, the very day of the country’s first round of presidential elections.

Touadera won the vote in the first round, but the country’s political opposition dismissed it as a sham.

The turnout was only 35.25%, with hundreds of thousands of voters unable to vote, especially in areas controlled by militias.

Bouar has a population of around 40,000, making it the fifth largest city in the country, and is located on a vital supply route connecting the capital to the Cameroon border.

The rebels sought to cut off the capital with attacks along the route.

Bouar, located about 430 kilometers (270 miles) from the capital, is also home to the Central African army headquarters for its western region, the most densely populated.

The rebels, united under the Coalition of Patriots for Change alliance, attacked the headquarters on January 9 as well as a base for UN peacekeepers in the country, both located on the outskirts of the city. .

They were pushed back after heavy fighting and following a show of force by French fighter planes.

Since then, the rebels have continued to occupy the city center, where public buildings and NGO offices have been looted.

Pro-government forces have led an offensive since the end of January to clear the road linking Bangui to Cameroon and allow the arrival of aid convoys.

In recent days, five other towns have also been taken over and on Monday a humanitarian convoy arrived in Bangui after a 50-day blockade by the rebels.