CAR – Massive Influx Of M23 Rebels And Rwandan Soldiers Into Bangui

There are reports of a massive influx of March 23 (M23) rebels from the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a mix of Rwandan soldiers, into the Central African Republic capital, Bangui, within the past several days.

Opposition sources in Bangui have accused President Faustin Archange Touadera of wanting to stage an anti-constitutional coup d’etat, especially after the country’s Constitutional Court last week struck down his attempt to write a new constitution and allow for him to stand for a third term, which provision is not in the current constitution.

“For President Touadera, Wagner mercenaries and Rwandan soldiers alone are no longer enough to protect his dictatorial regime. He has appealed to the M23 rebels to come to his assistance and they have been arriving in the Central African Republic in their numbers in recent weeks”, an opposition activist who identified himself as Panza Minboe told HumAngle last evening in Bangui.

Following the appointment of a committee to write a new constitution by President Touadera, the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) had announced that it would march into Bangui to stop the anti-constitutional move.

“This announcement by the CPC seems to have so frightened Touadera that he feels his Russian and Rwandan allies are no longer enough to save him from a possible rout from power,” Panza declared.

One hundred and fifty Rwandan soldiers had earlier arrived in the Central African Republic during the first week of this month, following a bilateral agreement on military cooperation between the two countries.

This was in addition to other Rwandan troops already serving with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).

However, several reliable sources in Bangui now say the 150 armed individuals who arrived in Bangui and were said to be Rwandan soldiers were actually M23 combatants.

“The 150 armed individuals who arrived the country are merely the tip of the iceberg. More combatants are expected to arrive in smaller groups within the coming several weeks”, very reliable sources revealed.

The Central African Republic Constitutional Court on Friday September 23, 2022 ruled as anti-constitutional, the decree by President Touadera, appointing a committee to write a new constitution for the country, following a prayer for the court to strike down the attempt from a citizen group, the Republican Block for the Defense of the Constitution.