Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Attacks on Birao, CAR

The void left by the UN Security forces has resulted in a gap in security on the northeast border of the Central African Republic.  As a result, Birao was taken over by the rebel Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace.  Because the Chadian government has taken responsibility to fill the gap left by MINURCAT, they felt obliged to intervene in the situation on Saturday and Sunday.
As always, the civilans who flee their homes to hide and live in the bush are the most affected by these incursions.  Please pray for peace and security to be restored in this town called Birao, and for the women and children affected by this crisis.

Central African Republic rebels seize Birao town

Rebels in the Central African Republic have taken over the town of Birao after heavy fighting with the army, a UN official has told the BBC.

The CPJP rebels have seized key strategic places including the armed forces' command base and the airport.

Birao had been under UN guard since June but the peace mission ended two weeks ago.

No casualty figures have been released but one humanitarian worker was killed during the attack, the official said.

The head of the UN humanitarian agency in CAR, Jean-Sebastien Munie said a large number of rebels led the attack on Thursday.

"The rebels' attack took the national forces by surprise."

The CPJP rebels are the only militia which remains outside the country's peace process.

Birao lies in a highly unstable region near the borders with Sudan and Chad, both of which have several rebel groups of their own.

Full article at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11847968

Other articles on this subject:
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Rebels-Control-Central-African-Republic-Town-110623724.html
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5g6Q0nIQrrv-j1ManLcd0hOYpRf7Q?docId=CNG.d0f4b0a91f937e48d59bf17b939b3eb2.3d1
http://www.innercitypress.com/car5alarm112610.html
http://news.google.com/news/story?hl=en&q=birao+central+african+republic&psj=1&wrapid=tlif12908962207181&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ncl=dDMhayLgdabWHqMw2H6kzIYRq9NRM&ei=ZoPxTLeVJ4K0lQfk97HxDA&sa=X&oi=news_result&ct=more-results&resnum=1&ved=0CBcQqgIwAA