The government of the Central African Republic on Thursday declared a dusk to dawn curfew throughout the national territory following new rebel offensives in several parts of the country.
“A curfew has been declared throughout the national territory of the Central African Republic from 8 pm to 5 am in the morning,” the Presidency of the Republic announced in a communiqué read over the national radio.
This new measure is intended to curb the advancement of rebels towards the national capital Bangui, though the rebel groups under the canopy of the Coalition of Patriots of the Central African Republic (CPC) have been pushed further away from the capital by loyalist forces assisted by UN Blue Helmets as well as Russian and Rwandan mercenaries.
According to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), the rebel fighters have not made any gains towards Bangui for the last 10 days except in Bangassou, 750 kilometres from Bangui the capital.
The country has been fighting a civil war for the past eight years with two thirds of the country occupied by rebel groups but legislative and presidential elections were all the same held on December 27, 2020.
However, because of the insecurity in several parts of the country most recently led by the CPC, it is estimated that at best only one in two persons succeeded in casting their votes during the said elections.
The National Elections Authority Monday January 4, 2021 announced the reelection of President Faustin Archange Touadera with a score of 53.92 per cent after the first round of the elections.
Ten of the candidates who took part in the elections have called for the annulation of the said elections.
They include Anicet-Georges Dologuele who came second with a score of 21.01 per cent of the votes cast and Martin Ziguele who came third with a score of 7.4 per cent.
They say the elections were “marred by massive fraud and by the impossibility of half of the electors to cast their votes”.
The results are still to be validated by the Constitutional Court.
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