In tense C.A.R., Touadéra joins Bozizé in declaring candidacy

In tense C.A.R., Touadéra joins Bozizé in declaring candidacy

Incumbent President Faustin Touadéra announced on Saturday his candidacy in the upcoming December elections, following former Central African Republic (CAR) leader François Bozizé and his own intentions to return to the presidency – an expected development but one that raises tensions in the long-volatile CAR. “It is a heavy responsibility,”…

Renewed violence in C.A.R. threatens humanitarian aid

Renewed violence in C.A.R. threatens humanitarian aid

There’s been renewed concern over violence in the Central African Republic of late, and now the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for the region says the situation is worse following recent attacks in the northeastern town of Birao. Armed attacks at the weekend, which came two weeks after the fighting on…

A new call for truth on anniversary of Russian journalist deaths in C.A.R.

A new call for truth on anniversary of Russian journalist deaths in C.A.R.

It’s been a year since Russian journalists Kirill Radchenko, Alexander Rastorguyev and Orkhan Dzhemal were killed in the Central African Republic (CAR) while working on an investigative project for Russian exile and Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky. The three seasoned journalists were launching a probe into the activities of alleged Russian…

Laureen is the editor of Africa Times

AU heralds ’great day’ for C.A.R. as peace deal announced

An elusive peace deal between the Central African Republic and armed rebel groups operating there has finally been reached, according to the African Union (AU) and MINUSCA, the United Nations mission in CAR. Smail Chergui, the AU commissioner for peace and security, announced the deal on Saturday following days of…

France transfers custody of CAR’s Ngaïssona to ICC

Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona of the Central African Republic was transferred Wednesday to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the The Hague by the government of France. He was arrested in France in December, following an ICC warrant for the suspected war criminal. Ngaïssona, 51, is an African football executive and the…

UN chief calls for justice after C.A.R. attacks

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday said he stood in solidarity with the Central African Republic (CAR), as violence against civilians and UN peacekeepers again increases. His statement follows an attack Thursday on an IDP camp in the town of Alindao that left at least 37 people dead. That attack was…

C.A.R. to welcome Russian team in probe of journalist deaths

The Central African Republic is making arrangements for Russian investigators to access the site where three Russian journalists were killed on July 30, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow. TASS reports that Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, speaking during a regular weekly briefing Thursday, said Moscow has…

More questions than answers in C.A.R. Russian journalist deaths

In Moscow, there was an outpouring of support at the Central House of Journalists following the news that three Russian journalists – Kirill Radchenko, Alexander Rastorguyev, and Orkhan Dzhemal – were killed in an ambush near the Central African Republic town of Sibut. Vyacheslav Umanovsky, head of the Russian journalists union, said one…

MINUSCA chief appeals for CAR humanitarian, security support

Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), said the nation remains under threat and requires the continued support of the UN Security Council in order to assist the CAR in restoring government authority, and meet humanitarian needs. Nearly one in four Central…

New attack on C.A.R. aid workers forces patients from hospital

Another attack on aid workers and facilities in the Central African Republic has prompted outrage from the country’s United Nations humanitarian coordinator, who demanded that the armed groups responsible be held accountable for the consequences of violating international humanitarian law. The statement from Najat Rochdi followed an intrusion at the…

UN’s Guterres wraps up visit to Central African Republic

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres will wrap up his visit to Central African Republic on Friday after meetings this week with President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, African Union ambassadors and other key stakeholders. In Bangui, the UN chief highlighted four linked components – security, state-building, national reconciliation and development – he…

Central Africa envoy urges UNSC to stay focused on LRA rebel threat

The United Nations (UN) envoy for the Central Africa region warned the UN Security Council on Tuesday not to underestimate the continued threat of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), particularly as troop withdrawals create space for potential further instability. François Loucény Fall, the Special Representative and head of the UN…

C.A.R refugees fleeing violence into neighboring DR Congo

Renewed fighting in May between rebel forces in the Central African Republic (CAR) has forced another 88,000 people from their homes, the United Nations refugee agency said Tuesday. The growing number of refugees includes more than 20,000 people who have fled into the Democratic Republic of Congo, many of them…