Armed groups, including one affiliated with the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) have committed serious violations in the Haut-Oubangui region of southeastern Central African Republic (CAR), mainly against Fulani, Muslim and Sudanese refugees, according to a UN report released on Wednesday.
Attacks against Sudanese refugees, Fulani and Muslim communities in the Central African Republic (CAR) in October 2024 and January 2025 left at least 24 people dead, including several summary executions, the joint report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the CAR (MINUSCA) said.
The violence particularly targeted Muslim populations and Sudanese refugees, as well as infrastructure such as a mosque, a hospital and a school. Reported abuses include gang rape, torture, forced labour and looting. “These heinous crimes must not go unpunished. Accountability is essential to prevent such violations from happening again,” said Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The report says the attacks were carried out by the FACA-linked Wagner Ti Azandé (WTA) armed group and the Azanikpigbe, an armed group that partially evolved into the WTA. In October 2024, these groups attacked the towns of Dembia and Rafai, in Mbomou prefecture, mainly targeting the Fulani community, Muslims and a Sudanese refugee camp.
In addition, the attackers raped 24 victims, including 14 women and 7 girls, often in gangs. Two girls and a woman were subjected to forced labour, while another was forcibly married to an attacker, the report said.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the CAR and head of MINUSCA, Valentine Rugwabiza, stressed that the situation
remains particularly worrying despite the efforts of the government and the UN mission.
“The absence of an appropriate response to these crimes could jeopardize security progress and harm social cohesion in these areas,” she warned.
ODL/te/Sf/fss/gik/APA