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Armed groups supporting ex-President Francois Bozize try to halt the general elections to be hold on Dec. 27.
The United Nations on Wednesday said that UN peacekeepers have regained control of Bambari, a Central African Republic (CAR) city taken by armed rebels.
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“The rebels were pushed back into the bush, and the residents of Bambari who had fled began to return,” the UN peacekeeping mission in the CAR (MINUSCA) spokesperson Abdoulaziz Fall said.
On Tuesday, Union for Peace in the Central African Republic (UPC) rebels captured Bambari and looted the police station and gendarmerie brigade there.
The rebels also took over a military base located behind the city hall of Bambari, deserted by the CAR army. Reports said no loss of civilian life were recorded.
Peace on Earth is possible and it begins with everyday people. Support programs that help everyday peacebuilders in central Africa create peace in their communities. Donate to Invisible Children this holiday season. https://t.co/jhzlrJRb9D
— Invisible Children (@Invisible) December 23, 2020
The attack came only days before the presidential and legislative elections scheduled for Sunday.
Between 2013 and 2016, armed groups planned to make Bambari their regional capital, with a view to partitioning the CAR.
In February 2017, the CAR government wanted to make Bambari a pilot city without armed groups, and the rebels left the city under pressure from the army and MINUSCA.
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