CAR: Fighting in Bangui leaves at least one dead July 18-19

Event

Fighting broke out in Bangui overnight from Wednesday, July 18, to Thursday, July 19 (local time), leaving at least one person dead and four others wounded. According to local sources, unidentified assailants attacked the base of the Nimery Matar Djamous (or "Force") militia in the PK5 neighborhood. The assailants' rationale for the attack was unclear as of Thursday. Additional clashes between armed groups are possible in Bangui in the near-term.

Context

The Central African Republic (CAR) has suffered recurrent bouts of civil conflict since December 2012 which has led to hundreds of deaths, created almost 700,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), and pushed more than 500,000 people to seek refuge in neighboring Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Chad. Clashes between various armed groups continue to be reported on a regular basis despite the June 2017 signing of a ceasefire agreement between CAR government and 13 out of the 14 rebel groups present in the country.

Numerous Western governments have issued updated travel advisories in recent months due to the current degraded security situation. On April 10, France issued an advisory, recommending its citizens avoid all nonessential travel to the country. Also on April 10, the US issued a security alert urging their citizens to avoid Bangui's PK5 neighborhood and 7th arrondissement. On April 12, the UK began advising against nonessential travel to central Bangui and against all travel to the rest of the country.

Advice

Individuals present in CAR are advised to monitor local developments, maintain a high degree of situational awareness, and remain vigilant for potential militant activity. A number of Western governments advise their citizens against travel to the east and northeast of the country for various security reasons, including the presence of armed groups and ongoing conflicts.