CAR Army Captures Rebels Stronghold

The Central African Republic national army, known by its French acronym FACA, supported by Russian and Rwandan mercenaries, have recaptured the village of Kambakota situated not far from Benzambe from forces of the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC).

The recapture of Kambakota from the CPC rebels comes on the heels of the retaking of Bossangoa, Benzambe and Bozoum by FACA soldiers assisted by Rwandan and Russian mercenaries.

Kambakota is the fief of the CPC, and it was there that the six armed groups that make up the coalition met on Dec.15, 2020, and decided on the alliance.

It was there that the formal declaration of the formation of the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) was made.

The formation of the CPC alliance was also followed by a declaration denouncing the Feb. 6, 2019 Khartoum peace accord, signed between the Central African Republic government and 14 armed rebel groups.

Within the 48 hours since the village’s recapture, it has become a ghost town as most of the inhabitants have fled into the bushes, and even the CPC combatants are nowhere to be found.

Since the recapture of Bossangoa and Bozoum, life has slowly been returning to normal and commercial activities are taking off again.

On the other hand, a large segment of Benzambe and Kambakota remained in the bushes and were yet to return to their daily activities for fear of being roughed up by CPC rebels.

Benzambe and Kambakota are small localities in Ouham, situated in the northwest of the Central African Republic. The local populations who remain in the bushes see the FACA forces’ presence in their localities as symbolic and short term.

“They fear returning to their villages right now because they know the FACA soldiers would soon disappear, and the CPC combatants would return to take revenge on any persons who collaborate with the FACA fighters,” a local inhabitant who escaped from Kambakota told HumAngle last evening.