CAR: MINUSCA operation in Bocaranga October 7

Event

The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) announced that it had repelled members of the 3R armed group (Return, Reclamation, Rehabilitation) during a military operation carried out on Saturday, October 7, in the city of Bocaranga (northwest). The operation prompted some local residents to flee but freed the city from the control of the armed group. MINUSCA is still deployed in the city. Further military operations to oust the 3R group are likely in the coming weeks in the region.

Context

The military operation follows heavy clashes between the 3R group and MINUSCA troops that occurred in the city on September 23 and forced approximately 23,000 people to flee to the countryside. The 3R group, operating since 2015 in the northwest of the country, claims to protect the Fulani people from armed Christian groups, the Anti-Balaka.

Religious conflicts have ravaged the CAR since December 2013. Despite a ceasefire signed between 13 rebel groups and the government in mid-June 2017, 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

Many Western governments advise against travel to the CAR due to security concerns. Travel should only be considered with proper security protocols in place.