Rebel forces take aim at the Central African Republic capitalOn Wednesday, January 13, armed rebel groups in the Central African Republic began a coordinated attack on the peripheries of the capital Bangui, before government forces and the United Nations Blue Helmets repelled them, according to the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). Chris Heitzig Research Analyst - Africa Growth InitiativeThe violence sparked by the recent elections caused as many as 185,000 Central Africans to flee their homes. Though many have since returned home, the United Nations Humanitarian Affairs Coordination Office estimates that 62,000 people remain newly displaced and as many as 1.3 million displaced overall, half of which are refugees in neighboring countries. On Tuesday, Ethiopia indicated that it was losing patience for Sudan’s militarization on the border of the disputed territory. Last week, the United Nations expressed in a report the fear that Tigray could also be a source of “massive community transmission” of COVID-19 due to the suspension of health services caused by the conflict.

Source: Ethiopian News January 16, 2021 12:33 UTC