Limping from the vagaries of war is the tattered soul of Central African Republic.
The once tranquil and stable country bubbling with promise, now stands on the brink of precipice. One more shot and it will be gone. Gone forever in history as an example of a failed state.
But what happened in just a short period of time?
Destruction Timeline
- Bangui plunges into macabre divisive violence in 2013 as president Francois Bozize is overthrown by Muslim rebels. Bozize, who is a Christian, has been in power for 10 years.
- Government finally succumbs to Seleka, a majorly Muslim coalition after months of running battles.
- Seleka leader Michel Djotodia declares himself president of the dominantly Christian country.
- In a quick rejoinder, Christian militias stage a counter-offensive by leading to a genocidal standoff. The war changes to become mainly religious.
- European Union denounces the coup as “unacceptable” while the African Union revokes the country’s membership.
- In September, about 100 people are murdered after two days of battle pitting Seleka rebels and Christians allied to Bozize around Bossangoa, 250 kilometres (155 miles) northwest of the capital.
- In self-defense, Christians form vigilante groups and names them “anti-balaka”. Balaka here being machete.
- With the country steadily sinking into war, former colonizer France sends in 2000 soldiers as an additional 4000 AU soldiers jet into the war-torn country.
International pressure
- January 2014, Djotodia resigns under international pressure over his failure to end the violence. Parliament elects an interim president.
- September, 2014, a new UN mission, MINUSCA takes over reigns from the African MISCA force.
- January 2015, a UN investigation judge the two warring factions had committed crimes against humanity, including “ethnic cleansing”, but found the international intervention helped avoid a genocide. It put the death toll in the “thousands”.
Renaissance
- December 2015, voters decisively back a constitutional referendum creating a sixth republic and restraining presidential term limits to two.
- In a run-off vote of February 14, 2016 former premier Faustin-Archange Touadera is elected president.
- France ends its military operation but tension flare again in May, 2017. Tens of thousands of residents of Bangassou, Alindao and Bria flee their homes.
- UN expresses concern on widespread instability in the wake of the killing of 100 people in Bria.
- April and May 2018, Bangui’s PK5 Muslim neighbourhood is the scene of deadly violence. Two months later, three Russian journalists are killed as they investigate participation of Russian mercenaries in CAR.
- October 2018, a Special Criminal Court is inaugurated to try war crimes and violations of human rights since 2003.
- Barely a month later, there is a new upsurge in violence with at least 60 people, including two priests, killed in clashes in Alindao between Muslim-dominated militias and anti-Balaka forces.
- January 2019, CAR football chief Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona, is also handed over to the Hague court a month after being arrested in France on an ICC warrant that describes him as the “most senior leader” of the anti-Balaka.
- January, 24, AU begins peace talks between government and 14 armed rebel groups. This is the eighth such peace accord.
Meanwhile, the country remains volatile.