Two drivers were killed and several others wounded as a convoy of trucks carrying supplies to the Central African Republic was forced to return to Cameroon after being attacked and ordered back by rebels of the Central African Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC).
The convoy left Garoua-Boulai in the East region of Cameroon on Sunday and had travelled up to Baboua, within 20 kilometres to the Cameroon-Central African Republic frontier when it was attacked by CPC fighters.
It was escorted by combat helicopters of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
Tens of trucks carrying supplies to the Central African Republic had been held up in Garoua-Boulai for several weeks because of hostilities in the Central African Republic.
The land-locked Central African Republic is furnished most of its basic products including foodstuff from Cameroon. But since before and after the country’s legislative and presidential elections of December 27, 2020, traffic between the two countries has been blocked by rebels of the CPC.
Negotiations between the two countries under the auspices of MINUSCA led to an arrangement for MINUSCA combat helicopters to escort some of the trucks from Cameroon to Bangui in order to supply basic necessities to the Central African Republic which was running out of basic necessities since the stoppage of traffic between the two countries.
It would, however, seem that negotiators who represented the CPC rebels did not pass down the information to their fighters on the ground as they remain determined to starve the Central African Republic capital of Bangui of basic necessities.
“The Central African rebels were very determined to stop us from continuing to Bangui and no amount of persuasion could convince them to let us continue,” one of the truck drivers who opted for anonymity told HumAngle last evening in Garoua-Boulai.
“ We, therefore, decided to obey the commands of the rebels and return to Garoua-Boulai. We would have to wait for the reinforcement of the MINUSCA detail that would escort us to Bangui.”
The bodies of the two Cameroonian drivers who were killed in the CPC rebel attack in the village of Foro have been transported back to Cameroon for burial while those wounded were evacuated by MINUSCA combat helicopters to Bangui for appropriate medical attention.
Support Our Journalism
There are millions of ordinary people affected by conflict in Africa whose stories are missing in the mainstream media. HumAngle is determined to tell those challenging and under-reported stories, hoping that the people impacted by these conflicts will find the safety and security they deserve.
To ensure that we continue to provide public service coverage, we have a small favour to ask you. We want you to be part of our journalistic endeavour by contributing a token to us.
Your donation will further promote a robust, free, and independent media.
Donate Here
