CAR – CPC Rebels Clash With Soldiers And Russian Mercenaries
Rebels from the Coalition of Patriots for Change launched a series of attacks on army positions which were repulsed with the aid of Russian mercenaries, civil society sources say.
Violent clashes have been reported between rebels of the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) and soldiers of the Central African Republic national army, FACA, supported by Russian mercenaries of the Wagner Security Group.
The fighting on Nov 19 is the latest in a number of clashes in the area. CPC rebels attacked the same army position in the locality of Nfouaboudou, situated forty-five kilometres from Bria on the Ippy highway last week.
“Massive reinforcements of Wagner mercenaries and FACA soldiers were brought in to support the national army which was already in disarray and fleeing to all directions. The subsequent fighting was very violent”, a civil society source in Bria, who opted for anonymity, told HumAngle.
“Some hours after the attack of a position of FACA soldiers, rebels of the Unite pour la Paix en Centrafrique (UPC) who are members of the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) left Ngouaboudou town for the sub prefecture of Ippy.
“At the same time, reinforcements by Wagner mercenaries and FACA soldiers from the town of Bria, arrived Ngouaboudou to carry out a counter offensive. But before the FACA and Wagner combatants arrived, the rebels had long left the town”, our civil society source revealed.
The FACA and Russian mercenary fighters reportedly chased the rebels into the nearby forests to which they had fled and were able to locate them through aerial surveillance by Wagner security helicopters.
The exchange of fire that ensued lasted for over two hours.
The FACA soldiers and their Russian allies say they succeeded in killing two CPC rebels and wounded several others, while the rebels say the FACA offensive against them was a failure and that they had vigorously repulsed the FACA attacks.
Right now, relative calm has returned to Ngouaboudou and normal activities are resuming timidly.
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