Armed men attacked a locality in the Vakaga prefecture, in the far northeast of the Central African Republic, seizing control of it for part of the day in what multiple sources described as a deadly assault. The raid marked a new flare-up of violence in one of the country's most remote and volatile regions, close to the border with Sudan.
According to local authorities, the attack was carried out by armed men affiliated with the Popular Front for the Rebirth of the Central African Republic, the FPRC, an armed group led by the warlord Noureddine Adam, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court. The assailants were said to have had the support of other rebel groups that came from neighbouring Sudan, including elements of the Rapid Support Forces.
A precise toll was difficult to establish, in large part because communications networks in the area had been cut. Authorities nonetheless spoke of several people killed and many wounded, as well as soldiers reported missing, among them the commander of the local territorial gendarmerie brigade, underscoring the severity of the fighting.
As the assault unfolded, many residents fled and sought shelter near the base of MINUSCA, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the country. In a statement, the mission said three of its Zambian peacekeepers had been wounded in the violence, one of them seriously, as the fighting spread through the locality.
The Central African armed forces, the FACA, said they had responded with air strikes against the rebels. The army's general staff sought to reassure the population, saying the situation in the area was now under control and judged to be stable following the aerial operations against the attackers.
Military authorities said sweep operations were continuing in close coordination with the FACA, MINUSCA forces, allied Russian personnel and the country's other security units, with the stated aim of consolidating the gains, securing the border zone and preventing any fresh attempt at incursion into the area.
Even as the operations went on, residents were left shaken by the sudden eruption of violence. The attack was a reminder of the fragility of security in the northeast of the Central African Republic, a country long destabilised by armed groups and now exposed to the spillover of conflict from across its border with Sudan.