UN Forces Rescue Central African Republic Troops From 3R Rebels Attack

It took the intervention of the UN forces in the Central African Republic on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 to rescue troops that came under attack from rebels of the Return, Reclamation, Rehabilitation (3R) movement.

The 3R movement rebels who are allies of the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), had  violently attacked positions of the national army in the locality of Ndim within the sub prefecture of Ngaoundaye. One FACA soldier was wounded in the attack.

“Faced by the superior fire power of the 3R rebels, the FACA soldiers were forced to seek refuge in the United Nations Blue Helmets base and it was through the military assistance of the MINUSCA forces that the rebels were pushed out of Ndim,” a civil society source in the town told HumAngle.

The attack came 24 hours after the first attack on FACA positions in Kaina on the border with Cameroon during which several FACA soldiers were taken hostage.

Sources within the ranks of the rebels say their next target is the town of Man. Wednesday’s attack came after an ultimatum by the rebel forces ordering the FACA soldiers to quit Ndim and Man within 48 hours.

“They came in large numbers and the attack lasted for several minutes. The FACA forces who could not receive any reinforcements from the national army had to flee into the UN Blue Helmets base of the Bangladesh contingent who immediately counter-attacked and liberated the town from the 3R rebels,” the civil society source revealed.

However, reliable sources say the rebels have not gone far away from the town and the local populations continue to express disquiet concerning their security.

With Man being touted as the next target of the rebels, most of the FACA soldiers who were stationed there have since moved to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) base after the 3R 48-hour ultimatum.

After the departure of the Russian mercenaries and their Syrian allies of the Wagner group from the towns of Koui, Ngaoundaye and Mang, the 3R rebels have since gained confidence and psychological superiority over the FACA forces which have no air cover nor sufficient military muscle to face the rebels.