Central African Republic: More than 16,000 displaced after an attack in Am-Dafock

More than 16,000 people have been displaced in the Central African Republic following an armed attack on June 30 against the sub-prefecture of Am-Dafock, in the northeast of the country, authorities said Tuesday, assuring that control of the locality has been regained by the Central African Armed Forces (FACA).

"To date, security is being progressively restored thanks to operations carried out by the FACA and our Russian allies. The defense forces are continuing their patrols in and around the city of Am-Dafock in order to prevent any new attack," said Lieutenant Colonel Jude Ngaïyoko, Prefect of Vakaga.

The attack, which took place in this border town with Sudan, claimed the lives of members of the Central African Armed Forces, security forces, and civilians. However, authorities have not yet released any figures on the number of victims.

According to authorities, more than 16,000 displaced people are gathered near the base of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) in Am-Dafock, while more than 2,000 others have found refuge in Birao, the capital of the Vakaga region. "From a humanitarian perspective, however, the situation remains very worrying," the prefect emphasized.

"We are asking the government to come to our aid quickly. We fled without taking anything with us. We are sleeping on the bare ground, under trees, without mosquito nets. We are here without anything to eat, with many children crying from hunger," said Zakaria Assane, chief of the village of Amkroumaï 2, located about thirty kilometers from Am-Dafock, reached by telephone.

Three Zambian peacekeepers were injured in the attack.

According to Amadou Moctar Diallo, head of the MINUSCA office in Birao, the Mission has delivered more than three tons of humanitarian aid, while deploying medical aircraft to evacuate the wounded to Birao and Bria.

The government has announced a strengthening of the security apparatus in Vakaga, with an additional deployment of FACA, the intensification of patrols and an increased state presence in this border region.

Located about sixty kilometers from Birao, Am Dafock is a strategic point on the border between the Central African Republic and Sudan.

The locality is regularly confronted with incursions by armed groups operating on both sides of the border, in a context marked by the war in Sudan since April 2023 and the presence of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the border regions.

AFP