Central African Republic Bush War Totally Explained

Everything about The Central African Republic Bush War totally explained

The Central African Republic Bush War began with the rebellion by the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR) rebels, lead by Michel Detodia, after the current President of the Central African Republic, François Bozizé, seized power in 2003. However, the real fighting began in 2004. The Civil War may be connected to the Darfur conflict in neighbouring Sudan. The CAR government says the rebels are operating from Darfur with the support of the Sudanese authorities. So far, around 10,000 people have been displaced because of the civil unrest.

Timeline

2004

In November 2004, at least 20 people were killed in a raid on the remote town of Birao in the north-east of the Central African Republic.
   On July 10, 2006, Chadian army soldiers in army trucks raided the village of Bétoko, located 20 kilometers south of the Chadian border town of Goré, firing randomly at the population and looting the village after the population had fled. During this raid, the Chadian troops raped five women at Bétoko.
   On October 29, 2006, a force of around 150 rebels took the town of Birao, which is close to the border with Sudan and Chad. The rebels from the UFDR movement say some government troops joined them, and others were taken prisoner. The CAR government accused Sudan of being behind that attack.
   Thousands of people marched into the capital of the CAR, Bangui, on November 8, and pleaded for the government's troops to confront the UFDR. On November 10, 2006, the rebels claimed to have captured the town of Ouadda-Djallé after a two-week long offensive. A government spokesman confirmed rebel activity but not the town's capture. It was also confirmed that the UFDR had gained access to several armored vehicles, including a plane that landed in Birao earlier to bring supplies. Just three days later, claims stated that a forth town, Ouadda, had been captured by the rebels. When the 20,000 residents of the city heard that the UFDR was going to capture the town, between 5,000 and 10,000 of those people fled mostly to the neighboring cities of Bamabari and Bangui.
   On November 14, France, the traditional backer of the CAR government, offered the CAR military assistance in the form of logistics and aerial reconnaissance. France already has a regular 200-soldier contingent in the CAR whose strength is comparable to the CAR's ill-equipped 5,000-soldier army. On that day, the UFDR announced that they'd suspended military activities in favour of negotiations.
   On November 17, Chad's parliament approved troop deployment to the CAR. The CAR government appealed to the United Nations to send troops, and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for the attacks in CAR's border with Darfur to end. Chad's decision to deploy troops to the CAR came as hopes for deal with Sudan over peacekeeping forces in Darfur proved premature.
   The UFDR are reportedly planning to take over the city of Bria, though rumours also support an additional attack may occur in Ndele.
   On December 14, Chad announced it had killed two rebel military chiefs, and moved its forces into Sudan. The same day, France admitted having performed air raids against UFDR positions since the beginning of December, employing Mirage F1 fighters and helicopter gunships, and including an attack on the UFDR-controlled town of Birao. French Defence Ministry spokesman said the action was "in line with international calls to stabilise the region". UFDR reports claim that the raids had a devastating effect on civilian population..

2007

On April 13 2007, a peace agreement between the government and the UFDR was signed in Birao. The agreement provides for an amnesty for the UFDR, its recognition as a political party, and the integration of its fighters into the army.
Roads once packed with villagers selling produce and going to market are totally deserted. Only aid workers and rebels still move about. While government forces are still in control of key towns in the north such as Paoua and Bossangoa, the rest of the region -- purportedly under rebel control -- remains unusually calm.

Human rights violations and crimes

The vast majority of summary executions and unlawful killings, and almost all village burnings, have been carried out by government forces, often in reprisal for rebel attacks. While the main rebel groups have been responsible for widespread looting and the forced taxation of the civilian population in areas they control—and rebels in the northeast have committed killings, beatings, and rape—their abuses pale in comparison to those of the Central African Armed Forces and the elite Presidential Guard, HRW claims. The CAR security forces have committed serious and widespread abuses against the civilian population, including multiple summary executions and unlawful killings, widespread burning of civilian homes, and the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians, which have instilled terror in the civilian population.
Abuses suffered by the civilian population in northwestern CAR were not limited to those committed by the APRD rebels and CAR forces, Chadian troops also regularly conducted cross-border raids, looting villages, and committing rape.
On October 26, 2007, during a visit to Brussels, Bozizé publicly acknowledged that government soldiers committed abuses while fighting rebels in the north, but said measures had been taken to punish those responsible. "In every case of rebellion, there are abuses, I can't deny that, there are abuses."Further Information

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