On 13 January 2021, during the ongoing civil war in the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to Central African Republic–Chad border, the north, Sudan to Central African Republic–Sudan border, the northeast, South Sudan to Central ...

, around 200 rebels from the

Coalition of Patriots for Change The Coalition of Patriots for Change (; CPC) is a coalition of major rebel groups in the Central African Republic created in 2020 to disrupt the 2020–21 Central African Republic general election. Background On 3 December 2020, the Constitu ...

attacked the capital

Bangui Bangui (; or Bangî in Sango language, Sango, formerly written Bangi in English) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in the Central African Republic, largest city of the Central African Republic. It was established as a Fren ...

in an attempt to overthrow the government, which resulted in failure.

Background

In December 2020 major rebel groups in Central African Republic created

. They were led by former president

François Bozizé François Bozizé Yangouvonda (born 14 October 1946) is a Central African Republic, Central African politician who was List of heads of state of the Central African Republic, President of the Central African Republic from 2003 to 2013. He was th ...

. They tried to prevent organization of

2020–21 Central African general election General elections were held in the Central African Republic on 27 December 2020 to elect the President and National Assembly. A second round of the legislative elections was originally scheduled to take place on 14 February 2021. Voting was not ...

. According to testimonies by members of armed groups Francois Bozize was directly involved in preparation and coordination of attack on Bangui.

Karim Meckassoua Abdoul Karim Meckassoua (born 31 December 1953 in the Bangui Bangui (; or Bangî in Sango language, Sango, formerly written Bangi in English) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in the Central African Republic, largest cit ...

, former president of National Assembly was also involved in preparations in coordination with Bozize,

Noureddine Adam Noureddine Adam (born 1970) is the leader of the Central African Republic, Central African rebel group, the Popular Front for the Rebirth of Central African Republic (FPRC) in the Central African Republic Civil War (2012–present), Central Afric ...

Ali Darassa Ali Darassa Mahamat (born 22 September 1978), also known as Ali Daras and Ali Ndarass is a Nigerian leader of the Central African rebel group, the Union for Peace in the Central African Republic (UPC), which is dominant around Bambari. He is ...

and several MPC generals. According to testimonies he was hoping that if coup d’état was successful he would be head of transitional government. However Bozize was convinced that Meckassoua was trying to double-cross him which lead to refusal of Bangui-based Anti-balaka fighters to join the attack. They were supposed to create chaos in Bangui which would allow other fighters to enter the capital. Meckassoua however denied all accusations.

Battle

Around 5:45 am around ten rebels armed with rocket launchers and

Kalashnikov rifle Kalashnikov rifles (), also known as the AK platform, AK rifles, or simply the AK, are a family of assault rifles based on Mikhail Kalashnikov's original design. They are officially known in Russian as ''avtomat Kalashnikova'' (), and informally ...

s were spotted in PK 11, Damala, PK 12 and Pindao in Bangui. Around 200 rebelsBullets and panic: rebels attack Central African Republic capital
13 January 2021 attacked military barracks 9 km and 12 km from the capital. They also attacked Bimbo neighborhood. Residents were reporting gunfire in different parts of the city. Streets were scattered with bullet casings. The attack was repelled and as of 8 am situation in the city was calm. One Rwandan soldier was killed and another was injured. According to prime minister

Firmin Ngrébada Firmin Ngrébada (born 24 May 1968) is a Central African politician who served as Prime Minister of the Central African Republic from 25 February 2019 to 15 June 2021. He was appointed after a peace deal was signed between the government and 14 ...

30 rebels were killed and five were captured. A few civilians were injured including France Beldo, 31 year old woman hit by stray bullet into hand, chest and shoulder. One of captured rebels was shown live on television. Interior minister Henri Wanzet Linguissara claimed that he was a Chadian citizen. The Chadian government denied the accusation.RCA : des assaillants armés capturés par les FACA avec l’aide des populations, de la MINUSCA et des partenaires bilatéraux
14 January 2021

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bangui 2021 Central African Republic Civil War 2021 in the Central African Republic Battles in 2021 Battles involving Rwanda Battles involving the Wagner Group Battles involving the Central African Republic History of Bangui 2021 in the United Nations United Nations operations in Africa Attacks on barracks Attacks on buildings and structures in the Central African Republic Attacks on residential buildings in Africa Attacks on military installations in 2021