A total of 19 Central African soldiers, taken hostage on February 14 by an alliance of rebel groups in the north of the Central African Republic, were released on Tuesday, announced the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Release operationsThe CPC confirmed the information in a statement, citing a "voluntary and unilateral decision to release the 20 soldiers taken prisoner" more than two months ago. The CPC's press release confirms that it has "opened negotiations" with "the International Committee of the Red Cross and MINUSCA", the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic. But she accuses the government and the Central African president, Faustin Archange Touadéra , of having refused "to assume his role as a military leader by getting personally involved in the release" of these men. The Central African Republic is the second least developed country in the world according to the UN, and has been the scene of a deadly civil war since 2013 in its first years but which has decreased in intensity since 2018.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 05, 2023 10:45 UTC