Latest news with #Bangui
Reuters
5 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Central African Republic's Touadera announces bid for third term
BANGUI, July 26 (Reuters) - Central African Republic's President Faustin-Archange Touadera said on Saturday he will run for a third term later this year, seeking to extend his rule into a second decade after scrapping term limits in 2023. "Many of you have asked for me, and my answer is yes. I am your candidate for the presidential election of December 2025," the 68-year-old said at a meeting of his party, the United Hearts Movement, in the capital Bangui. "We will continue the work of rebuilding our country." Since taking office in 2016, Touadera has enlisted outside forces to stay in power amid a persistent civil conflict, including mercenaries from Russia's Wagner militia, who intervened in 2018 on the side of the government. Landlocked Central African Republic, roughly the size of France and with a population of around 5.5 million, is deeply impoverished despite being rich in resources including gold, diamonds and timber. It has witnessed waves of instability, including coups and rebellions, since independence from France in 1960. Touadera won a second term in 2020, though militants including the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) have fought to overturn that result. The army, backed by United Nations peacekeepers and Russian and Rwandan troops, has been fighting the group for years. Touadera's current term was supposed to be his last, but in 2023 the country held a constitutional referendum that abolished the two-term limit and extended the presidential mandate from five to seven years. Opposition parties and civil society groups have said the new constitution, which was backed by more than 95% of voters, could allow Touadera to stay in power for life. The exact date of the December vote has not been announced.
The Independent
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Central African Republic rebels found guilty of war crimes by International Criminal Court
International Criminal Court judges convicted two leaders of a predominantly Christian rebel group in the Central African Republic of multiple counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity on Thursday, sentencing each to more than a decade in prison. Former Central African Republic soccer federation president Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona and Alfred Yekatom, a rebel leader known as 'Rambo,' were found guilty of their involvement in atrocities including murder, torture and attacking civilians. The court sentenced Ngaïssona to 12 years, and Yekatom to 15 years. The charges stem from their roles as senior leaders in a militia known as the anti-Balaka, which engaged in bitter fighting with the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel group in 2013 and 2014. The interreligious violence left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands. Mosques, shops and homes were looted and destroyed. Anti-Balaka forces 'attacked localities with Muslim civilians, killing and dislocating many of them,' Presiding Judge Bertram Schmitt said, reading out the verdict in The Hague. Malick Karomschi, president of the Muslim Organization for Innovation in the Central African Republic, a nongovernmental organization that supports victims of sexual violence, said that he's glad that justice has been served. 'We feared the worst — that they would be acquitted so the fact that they were found guilty is already a good thing.' Karomschi told The Associated Press. The pair maintained their innocence during the trial, which opened in 2021. It was the first case at the global court to focus on the violence that erupted after the Seleka seized power in the Central African Republic in 2013. The country has been mired in conflict since rebels forced then President Francois Bozize from office. Anti-Balaka militias fought back, also targeting civilians and sending most of the Muslim residents of the capital, Bangui, fleeing in fear. The trial of an alleged Seleka commander, Mahamat Said Abdel Kani, is ongoing. Last year, judges at the court unsealed another arrest warrant in the investigation. According to prosecutors, Edmond Beina commanded a group of about 100-400 anti-Balaka fighters responsible for murdering Muslims in early 2014. Separate proceedings against Beina and five others at a specially-created court are slated to begin in the Central African Republic on Friday. ___
France 24
7 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
ICC convicts pair over Central Africa war crimes
Ex-sports minister Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona was a senior leader of mainly Christian militias as the country slid into civil war, while Alfred Yekatom, a former MP, commanded them on the ground. The ICC sentenced Yekatom to 15 years behind bars for 20 war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder and torture. Ngaissona received a sentence of 12 years for 28 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Their militia, known as anti-Balaka or "anti-machete", were formed as vigilante self-defence groups after mainly Muslim rebels called the Seleka stormed the capital Bangui and removed then-president Francois Bozize, a Christian. Presiding judge Bertram Schmitt read harrowing details of the violence committed by the militia against suspected Seleka Muslims. Yekatom's men tortured one suspect by cutting off his fingers, toes, and one ear. This man's body was never found. Others were killed and then mutilated. Appearing in court dressed in a light brown suit and waistcoat, white shirt, and dark tie, Yekatom listened impassively as the judge read out the verdict. Dressed in a bright blue jacket, Ngaissona nodded to the judge as his sentence was delivered. The court found Yekatom not guilty of conscripting child soldiers and acquitted Ngaissona of the charge of rape. Both men had pleaded not guilty to all charges. Yekatom was extradited to The Hague in late 2018, after being arrested in the CAR for firing his gun in parliament. Ngaissona was arrested in France in December 2018 and extradited to The Hague. At the time he was head of the CAR football association and a board member of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The Central African Republic is among the poorest nations in the world and has endured a succession of civil wars and authoritarian governments since independence in 1960. Violence has subsided in recent years but fighting occasionally erupts in remote regions between rebels and the national army, which is backed by Russian mercenaries and Rwandan troops.
Zawya
23-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Central African Republic Innovates with Nature-Based Solutions and Reaffirms Commitment to Urban Climate Resilience
The World Bank approved today an additional grant financing in the amount of $9.175 million (just over CFAF 5.3 billion) from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for the Inclusive and Resilient Cities Project in the Central African Republic (PROVIR). This additional financing aims to improve access to climate-resilient infrastructure in the cities of Bangui and Berbérati by financing Nature-based Solutions, including the regeneration of urban forests and the planting of avenues and public spaces. With this funding, about 300,000 people in Bangui and Berberati—including vulnerable groups such as refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees, women, and youth—will benefit from improved living conditions with improved access to flood-safe and erosion-protected infrastructure. "The Central African Republic, which is ranked second in the world in terms of high vulnerability to climate change, is exposed to numerous natural disaster risks exacerbated by deforestation and climate change," said Guido Rurangwa, World Bank Country Manager for the Central African Republic. "Nature-based solutions have great potential for the country. By combining these with grey infrastructure in Bangui and Berberati, they will increase rainwater retention capacity, reducing the risk of flooding and soil erosion. Their multi-purpose nature will also provide many livelihood opportunities ranging from forest products to fishing opportunities." PROVIR is part of the World Bank's programmatic support to the urban development sector in the Central African Republic and adopts an integrated approach. It supports the World Bank Group's climate change and resilience agenda, including the Climate Change Action Plan (2021-2025), which aims to promote green, resilient, and inclusive development and competitive cities. Project preparation benefited from technical assistance and grants from the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), City Climate Finance Gap Fund (Gap Fund), and NBS Invest. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The World Bank Group.
CTV News
18-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Shooting at a Central African Republic gold mine run by Russia's Wagner leaves 11 dead
BANGUI, Central African Republic — A shooting at a mine controlled by the Russia-linked Wagner mercenary group in the Central African Republic killed at least 11 people, residents and aid workers said Friday. The victims were killed Wednesday night at the gold mine in Ndassima, about 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of the country's capital of Bangui, the residents and aid workers told The Associated Press. Residents of nearby villages are forbidden access to the Wagner-controlled mine. Resident Serge Pounematchi, whose son was among those killed, said the victims were at the site searching for gold residue and gravel when they were summarily killed. He joined other villagers in holding funerals for the victims. 'It is a shame that the right to life does not exist,' Pounematchi said. Authorities did not yet confirm any details of the violence, and local officials did not immediately respond to inquiries. Two aid workers, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of being targeted, confirmed that the victims were young people from surrounding villages and that most were shot dead. Constantin Pounoukouzou, a resident of Ndassima, said some villagers are still missing. 'Unemployed young people have no choice but to go to this site at night (for) the gravel,' Pounoukouzou said. Wagner is often accused of carrying out rights abuses and extrajudicial killings with little or no accountability in Central African Republic, where it has pledged to fight rebel groups and restore peace. The mercenaries have served as personal bodyguards for Central African President Faustin Archange Touadera, helping him win a 2023 constitutional referendum that could extend his power indefinitely. Jean-fernand Koena, The Associated Press
