Roadside Bomb Kills Three UN Peacekeepers in Central African Republic

MINUSCA Peacekeepers Conducting a Regular Patrol in Bangui, Central African Republic (Source: United Nations Photo)

A roadside bomb planted by an unknown armed militia group killed three United Nations (UN) peacekeepers from Bangladesh on October 3 in the northwestern region of Central African Republic. The attack occurred in a village known as Kaita, which is close to the Cameroon–Central African Republic border.

At the time of the attack, the peacekeeping battalion was carrying out a patrol when their car hit an explosive device. The Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), the UN organization responsible for this peacekeeping mission, sent out a tweet to notify the public of the situation and condemn the attack.

Conflict has continuously plagued this region since 2012 after the rebel takeover of Bangui, the nation’s capital city, and the overthrow of President Francois Bozize. Due to the unrest, the United Nations deployed peacekeepers to Central African Republic in 2014. Since then, there have been 147 fatalities out of the 14,200 uniformed staff in the region. The militias are primarily armed Islamic groups known as Seleka fighters, who are responsible for the coup and civil war with Christian groups. The government disbanded the Seleka fighters after revenge attacks but launched counterattacks soon after, plunging the country into a state of perpetual violence since 2014. 

Additionally, the Central African Republic is facing a humanitarian crisis. Since the coup and beginning of the civil war, thousands of people have been killed and approximately 575,000 refugees have been displaced to neighboring countries such as Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Foreign powers also worry about the destabilization of the Central African region in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. With the looming threat of further sectarian violence, the humanitarian crises in these countries are only expected to grow in the coming years.