CAR: Clashes in Haute-Kotto leave eight dead

Event

At least eight people were killed and 29 injured in multiple recent clashes near Bria and Yalinga in Haute-Kotto prefecture, according to a report by UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The identity of the belligerents has not yet been ascertained, as of Wednesday, August 30. Further violence is possible in the area.

Context

Bria - located approximately 580 km (360 mi) northeast of the capital Bangui - has been under the control of the  Popular Front for the Rebirth of Central African Republic (FPRC), a predominantly Muslim faction of the ex-Seleka rebel group, since mid-June, when the group carried out an attack against Bria residents that killed at least 50 individuals and resulted in the vast majority of inhabitants fleeing their homes. Nearly 90 percent of Bria's 45,000 inhabitants have yet to return. Since then, clashes occur on regular basis in the town.

Religious conflicts have ravaged CAR since December 2013. Despite a ceasefire signed between 13 rebel groups and the government on June 19 of this year, clashes remain frequent throughout the country. The conflict has resulted in hundreds of deaths, created almost 1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), and pushed more than 500,000 people to seek refuge in the neighboring countries of Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Chad.

Advice

Most Western governments advise against nonessential travel to Bangui and against all travel to the rest of the country (particularly the northern provinces of Mambéré-Kadéï and Ombella-Mpoko and the eastern provinces of Nana-Grebizi, Ouaka, Basse-Kotto, Bamingui-Bangoran, Haute-Kotto, Mbomou, Vakaga and Haut-Mboubou) due to security concerns. Travel should only be considered with proper security protocols in place.