By Abba Gwale
The Central African Republic has imposed a 15-day state of emergency in the country as a coalition of armed groups seek to remove President Faustin Archange Touadéra who was re-elected in December last year.
Albert Yaloké Mokpeme, the spokesperson for the president, made the announcement on national radio on Thursday.
Yaloke Mokpeme said the state of emergency was applicable throughout the country for a period of 15 days from midnight January 21 until February 4.
The stand comes as an alliance of six armed groups ravaged towns far from the capital and on the RN3 highway, one of the important ways linking Bangui with neighbouring Cameroon.
President Archange Touadera was reelected in December 27, 2020 and was invaded by the opposition and several armed groups in the country.
Gunmen claiming to represent ethnic or other groups control two-thirds of CAR’s territory, raising questions about government’s control of the country.
On Thursday, Mankeur Ndiaye, United Nation envoy to the country called to the Security Council for a “substantial increase” in the number of peacekeepers deployed in the country, after recent deadly attacks by armed groups.
“The increase must be accompanied by “greater mobility in a very large country and there must be a strategy for adjusting the mandate,” said Mr. Ndiaye the UN representative.
He made this call during a video conference of the Council organized by African members of this body after a request from Bangui.
At least 100,000 people have fled their homes in the country as a rebel coalition calling for the resignation of the president.
The country was wrecked by a brutal five year civil war that started in 2013, though the security forces in the country that are fighting the armed groups are mainly trained by the European Union and Russian instructors.
