Few hours after arriving in the Central African Republic (CAR) capital, Bangui, from Bangassou and other localities where they have been fighting rebels of the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), the national army, popularly known by its French acronym FACA, was immediately rushed to the locality of Boda, about 85km to Mbaiki, in the prefecture of Lobaye.
The CAR national army is supported by Russian and Rwandan mercenaries as well as soldiers of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
The joint force was deployed to confront CPC rebels in the village of Danga, about 20km to Boda on the Mbaiki highway who had been wreaking havoc on the local population.
On the arrival of the MINUSCA-FACA-mercenary joint forces in the locality, there was general panic as CPC rebels and the local population took to their heels.
“The frightened rebel fighters immediately fused into the local population on the arrival of the FACA, MINUSCA and mercenary forces.
“Some CPC fighters who were wearing uniforms quickly discarded them, put on civilian dresses and joined the fleeing populations into bushes, ” a civil society activist who refused to give his name, told HumAngle on Monday evening.
“Where there were clashes, they were violent, in fact very violent before the CPC rebel fighters eventually decided to throw in the towel and run for their lives,” the source added.
On Sunday, a column of vehicles carrying Russian paramilitary forces and Rwandan soldiers with FACA fighters and which was slowly moving to Boda was ambushed by a group of rebels who quickly abandoned their positions and arms in the face of the robust retaliation by FACA, MINUSCA and mercenary forces.
“It was a complete rout for CPC fighters who were thrown into panic before melting into the local population,” a FACA soldier said.
“Boda now is a ghost town as the populations and rebel fighters have all fled into the bushes. Government forces are gradually taking control of the town and are preparing to move to Yaloke on the Bossembele-Bossemptele highway tomorrow, Jan. 27,” the civil society source said.
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