Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bangui (Agenzia Fides) - Very heavy clashes took place in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, on 29 and 30 September between the "anti-Balaka" and UN Minusca forces which lasted several hours.
This was reported to Agenzia Fides by local sources, which point out that the Blue Helmets had difficulty "in disarming an enemy hiding among the houses, in a maze of narrow streets completely inaccessible to cars, much less to armored vehicles. There is an unknown number of dead, wounded and burned houses, among the civilian population".
The day of 30 September was characterized by the lack of participation in popular protest called by those who want to take advantage of Saturday's incidents for political reasons, demanding the departure of the French armed forces, the restoration of the dissolved National Army and the resignation of the Authority of Transition (see Fides, 29/09/2015). In fact only a few hundred people gathered at Place des Martyrs, and after an hour, the organizers postponed the protest with the excuse that the agitators and militants had infiltrated in a procession that wanted to be non-violent.
The rest of the day, as well as last night, was pretty calm, although the climate remained extremely tense.
The country's interim president, Catherine Samba Panza, and Head of Minusca, Parfait Onanga returned to the capital, after cutting short a trip to the UN in New York.
Immediately after the "anti-Balaka" started attacking the headquarters of the National Council of Transition (the local parliament), which is located near the neighborhood which is their stronghold, and then, once rejected by the security forces placed at their defense, it appears they carried out violence against the nearby headquarters of the World Food Programme and a large service station - Total, ransacking them.
According to Fides sources "it is clear that the population is not interested in destabilizing the institutions. The problem now is that the President, back in the capital – has to restore dialogue with 'anti-Balaka' to get them to give up their destabilizing ambitions and instead prepare themselves for the elections",concludes the source. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 01/10/2015)
