BANGUI: Gunmen launched a deadly attack on a remote village in the troubled Central African Republic (CAR), killing 13 civilians, according to local officials on Tuesday.
The attack took place on Monday when around 20 rebels targeted the village of Diki, situated near the Chadian border in the northwest region of the country, as reported by regional prefect Jean Gilbert Gbangoudou. The mayor of the village, Ibrahim Senoussi, confirmed the death toll and stated that two people were wounded in the assault.
Diki is located approximately 22 kilometers (14 miles) away from an army base in the Bamingui-Bangoran prefecture. However, the soldiers were only alerted to the attack after it had taken place, as per local deputy Aline Aziza.
According to Senoussi, the rebels gathered the men of the village under the pretense of wanting to talk to them, only to open fire on them. The women and children managed to escape into the nearby bush.
Central African Republic a Turbulent Nation
Central African Republic is a landlocked country rich in minerals but plagued by deep poverty and a decade-long burden of civil strife, making it one of the world’s most turbulent nations.
The attack occurred a day after a referendum on a new constitution, which would allow President Faustin-Archange Touadera, aged 66, to seek a third term. The main opposition parties, civil groups, and armed rebels had called for a boycott of the referendum, accusing Touadera of seeking to remain in power indefinitely.
The proposed constitution aims to extend the presidential mandate from five to seven years and abolish the two-term limit. In 2020, Touadera secured a second five-year term in an election overshadowed by an offensive by armed rebel groups. The rebel groups were largely contained by the intervention of Rwandan troops and operatives from Russia’s Wagner mercenary force, who pushed them into rural areas.
