CPC Rebels Kill Central African Republic Soldier In Nzako Attack

At least 11 soldiers of the Central African Republic army, FACA, have been reported dead in an attack on their position by Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) rebels in Nzako, a locality in Mbomou in the southeast of the country.

The attack by the rebels on Thursday, April 28, forced FACA troops to abandon their positions, according to security sources.

HumAngle learnt that three CPC fighters also died in the fire fight that ensued.

“The Nzako attack was a big arms harvest for the CPC as the fleeing FACA soldiers abandoned their arms and only two of the soldiers arrived at Bakouma with their weapons,” a local source revealed.

“All the FACA soldiers who were in Nzako have now escaped to Bakouma, a town situated about sixty kilometres on the Bangassou highway to the southeast of the country.”

Russian mercenaries who have a base in Bria were brought into Nzako to reinforce the FACA soldiers but they arrived late.

Local sources said the FACA soldiers had all fled their locations when the Russians arrived. 

“On arrival in Nzako, the Russian mercenaries discovered that the whole town had been abandoned by the FACA soldiers and they called some of the FACA commanders by phone to persuade them to return with their troops but the FACA soldiers refused to return to Nzako,” one of the  sources revealed.

Some FACA soldiers interviewed in Bakouma said they declined to return to Nzako and meet the Russian mercenaries because of the shabby way the Russians always treat them.

“We would rather return to Bangui than go to Nzako under the command of the Russians who treat us like animals,”a FACA soldier who did not want to be named told HumAngle.