Central African Republic Bush War

Central African Republic Bush War
The Central African Republic
Date 2004–2007 Location Central African Republic Result Peace agreement
Belligerents
UFDR rebels	Central African Republic Chad France
Commanders and leaders
Michel Detodia (UFDR, GAPLC Abakar Saboune (MLCJ) Justin Hassane (FDC)	Francois Bozize
Strength
150+	4,500+
Casualties and losses
3+	20+
Civilian casualties: Hundreds killed, 212,000 displaced

The Central African Republic Bush War [1] 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 Francois Bozize seized power in a 2003 coup. 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.

The UFDR consists of three allies, the Groupe d'action patriotique pour la liberation de Centrafrique (GAPLC), the Mouvement des libérateurs Centrafricains pour la justice (MLCJ), and the Front démocratique Centrafricain (FDC). The group signed a peace agreement with the government in April 2007.

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.

2006

On February 11, 2006, a single military of CAR unit killed at least 30 civilians in more than a dozen separate villages located along the Nana-Barya to Bémal road. On March 22, this same unit beheaded a teacher in Bémal, cutting off his head with a knife while he was still alive.

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. Twenty members of the government were killed, and only three of the rebels died in this attack. 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.

On November 13, 2006, a third town was seized by the UFDR, Sam-Ouandja, a town in the northern part of the CAR. 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 had 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.

In December 2006, Chadian troops in three army trucks attacked Bémal, located next to Bétoko, firing randomly at the population and taking 32 cows from the village, as well as farming implements and sacks of peanuts.

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.

Human rights violations and crimes

According to the Human Rights Watch (HRW), hundreds of civilians have been killed, more than 10 thousand houses burned, and approximately 212,000 persons have fled their homes to live in desperate conditions deep in the bush in northern Central African Republic.

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 are not limited to those committed by the APRD rebels and CAR forces, Chadian troops also regularly conduct cross-border raids, looting villages, and committing rape.

See also

• Second Chadian Civil War
• Darfur conflict
• Central African War
• List of wars 2003–current