Finally, the favoritism in regards to an Anti-Balaka leader could very quickly stir up rivalries between groups that consider themselves neglected by the powers in Bangui. D’habitude, les élections au Comité e Soussou is the Anti-Balaka commander in Boda, Lobaye Prefecture. Après que le leader anti-balaka Maxime Mokom a appelé lundi la Minusca à agir contre les mercenaires étrangers, celle-ci lui a répondu ce mercredi 23 août. On 9 February 2021 the ICC will begin the trial of two former anti-balaka leaders, Alfred Yekatom and Patrice-Edouard Ngaïssona, for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Most Seleka members were Muslim, chiefly because Islam is the more prevalent religion in the marginalized northern areas where rebel groups sprang up. Groups that made up the anti-Balaka and the Séléka – whose former leader, Michel Djotodia, also returned to CAR last year after a lengthy exile – have since splintered into multiple, smaller factions – 14 of which signed a peace deal with the government in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, in February 2019. Joachim Kokate represented the anti-balaka at a regional summit in January. Either way, “anti-balaka” roughly means “invincible”, a power purportedly bestowed by the charms that hang around the necks of most members. Le 23 décembre, des tirs tchadiens ont fait plusieurs morts à Bangui. The term gained currency by around 2010, when it was applied to self-defense units set up - in the absence of effective state security forces - to protect communities from attacks by highway bandits or cattle raiders. var setNptTechAdblockerCookie = function(adblocker) { Yekatom commands Anti-Balaka forces in and around the capital, Bangui. Page last modified: Earlier in the week they had accused Samba Panza of failing to meet the needs of Central Africans and allegedly embezzling millions of dollars in cash given to CAR by the Angolan government. Though "anti-balaka" is often translated as "antimachete", its origin is explained: [It is] from the language of the young illiterates, who formed Seleka's armed opposition, and who chased the Muslim 'anti-balles à ti laka' (anti ti laka bullets). Appris par Jeune Afrique, de forts soupçons pèsent en effet sur le rôle qu'a joué dans la guerre civile centrafricaine cet ancien "coordinateur" auto-proclamé des anti-balaka. Habib Soussou was designated for being a leader of an Anti-Balaka armed group that had, or whose members had, threatened the peace, security, or stability of the CAR. We just need to target those organizing theft, looting and extrajudicial killings. In June 2016, Hissene’s KM5 fighters and Mokom’s anti-Balaka supporters may have planned to disrupt the arrival of CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadéra’s flight to Bangui airport, leading the CAR Government to warn publicly of a possible coup attempt. [2] However, some church leaders have contested the claimed exclusively Christian character of such groups. [20], In 2014, the corpse of Camille Lepage, a missing French photojournalist, was found by French soldiers in a truck used by Anti-Balaka members. Puis, à … At the end of 2013, long-standing village self-defence groups restructured to fight the Seleka, calling themselves “anti-balaka”, and were reinforced by former FACA and Presidential Guards loyal to Bozizé. Les anti-balaka sont des milices d’auto-défense mises en place par des paysans en République centrafricaine. The anti-balaka traditionally hunted down bandits and arrested them. By the end of 2014, the country was de facto partitioned – anti-Balaka in the southwest and ex-Seleka in the northeast. Their political leader is Patrice Ngassona, former minister for youth and head of the football association. document.cookie = "__adblocker=" + (adblocker ? Alfred Yekatom was designated for being a leader of an Anti-Balaka armed group that has, or whose members have, threatened the peace, security, or stability of the CAR. Le cas des deux leaders du mouvement anti-balaka, notamment le député Alfred Yékatom Rombhot et de l’ancien coordonnateur général des anti-balaka, Patrice Edouard Ngaïssona, qui vient d’être arrêté à Paris, le mercredi dernier, en témoigne bien le complot qui se prépare depuis l’extérieur dans le seul but de déstabiliser les institutions légitimement établies. Elles doivent en outre s'opposer aux milices d'auto-défense anti-balaka [31]. CENTRAFRIQUE. The anti-balaka are said to consist of many groups, including at least 10 in Bangui, based on the city’s arrondissements, and many others across the country. Et la tension monte d’autant plus autour du « cas » de ce neveu de François Bozizé que l’échéance de la présidentielle approche. [10] With the disbanding of the army by Djotodia, many army members joined the militia, boosting their numbers and helping train them. Et la tension monte d’autant plus autour du « cas » de ce neveu de François Bozizé que l’échéance de la présidentielle… [17] On 2 December 2013, anti-balaka militiamen are suspected to have killed 12 people, including children, and wounded 30 others in an attack on the mostly-Muslim Fula in Boali, according to the government. 22/12/2017 En Centrafrique, sur les traces de Bokassa Ier. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola Hundreds more since appeared at morning assemblies. Anti-balaka leaders were former army commanders and politicians who were forced from their posts in the Seleka coup. According to Amnesty International, such attacks have led tens of thousands to leave CAR in “an exodus of historic proportions”. The term gained currency when it was applied to self-defense units set up - in the absence of effective state security forces - to protect communities from attacks by highway bandits or cattle raiders. Four (4) leaders of the anti-balaka group, whose names were on the list forwarded by the Public Prosecutor to the First Instance Court of Bangui to the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the Commission and Head of MISCA, General Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko, were apprehended. Two ministers in the government of ousted president Francois Bozize, Patrice Edouard Ngaissona and Joachin Kokate, claim to be the anti-balaka’s national-level political and military coordinators, respectively. • Maxim Mokom – leader of Mokom branch. Le leader Anti-balaka qui, lors de cette conférence de presse s’est entouré d’autres leaders tels Lébéné alias ‘’12 Puissances’’, explique que « trouvant comme prétexte inutile la situation de Km5, Nourredine Adam, Ali Darass, Abdoulaye Hissen et leurs acolytes positionnent des matériels de … After the arrests of Rambo and Ngaissona, the ICC must now also deal with the ex-Seleka leaders," said Pierre Brunisso, FIDH coordinator in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic. Most Seleka members were Muslim, chiefly because Islam is the more popular religion in the marginalized northern areas where rebel groups sprang up. Eugène Barret Ngaïkosset: Anti-Balaka leader nicknamed 'butcher of Paoua' One of many suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity, Ngaïkosset is still "roaming free" in CAR. Their leaders say the anti-balaka number in the tens of thousands. var d = new Date(); ... Bozize was sanctioned by the United Nations for his alleged support of the Christian anti-Balaka militias in the year in which he was overthrown. L’information a été confirmée au RJDH par certains éléments des Anti-Balaka encore présent dans la ville. L'avion, en provenance de Kinshasa, a atterri, jeudi matin, à Bangui. Several rebel groups joined forces under the banner of the Seleka (“alliance” in Sango) forces in late 2012. [4], In March 2013, President Bozizé (a Christian) was overthrown by a coup during the Central African Republic Civil War by a mostly Muslim rebel coalition known as Séléka. The presidential guard, the FACA, and the Young Patriots killed individuals they believed to be Seleka supporters. “Balaka” is the Sango word for machete. this included Noureddine Adam [Seleka General and Former Minister of Public Security, born 1969]. The Séléka and anti-balaka leaders have also granted humanitarian actors complete and immediate access to the areas where the children are located so … L'élection de Patrice Edouard Ngaïssona au Comité exécutif de la CAF fait polémique. The fight between the two warring Seleka and Anti-Balaka militia broke out into a full scale civil war after the coup in March 2013. Ngaissona and Yekatom are the highest ranking anti-balaka leaders to face trial for crimes committed during the country’s most recent conflict. Up to 6,000 civilians had been killed in the fighting and over one millions people have fled their homes. Seleka members committed widespread atrocities after seizing power in March 2013, including killings, large-scale arson and rape. Earlier this month, minutes after newly installed interim president, Catherine Samba-Panza, addressed an inaugural parade of re-launched FACA, a dozen of them set on a suspected ex-Seleka in their midst and kicked him to death, in full view of international media. The anti-balaka militia leaders’ identity, their chain of command and their political program are all unknowns. Bozize has denied having a controlling hand over the group. C’est déjà un des leaders importants de la mouvance anti-balaka, mais les mois suivants, Andilo monte en puissance. Centrafrique : le leader anti-balaka Andilo condamné aux travaux forcés. The movement has its roots in self-defense militias that have been around, primarily in the west, since the 1990s. US sanctions against militia leaders 'sends strong message to armed groups in CAR' US imposed sanctions on ex-Séléka leader Abdoulaye Hissène and Maxime Mokom, anti-Balaka … [5] In December 2013, UNICEF reported that in sectarian violence in Bangui, at least two children were beheaded and one of them was mutilated. President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order stating that dangers posed by the instability in the CAR constitute a threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States and declared a national emergency to deal with the threat. document.cookie = "__adblocker=; expires=Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMT; path=/"; Assuming this change of leadership posed an existential crisis, the anti-Balaka forces lashed out, committing a litany of violent crimes and forced conversions to Christianity. On 12 April 2017 the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Abdoulaye Hissene (Hissene) and Maxime Mokom (Mokom) pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) Anti-balaka spokesmen have called for members to be integrated into the army "with appropriate rank" or given demobilization packages. D’un côté, on crie à la trahison. Il est déjà un leader qui compte au sein de la mouvance. Ngaissona and Yekatom are the highest ranking anti-balaka leaders to face trial for crimes committed during the country’s most recent conflict. Anti-balaka leaders said Ngaibona’s arrest threatened reconcilation efforts, as they say they have transformed their movement into a political party. 13667 for being leaders of groups that threaten the peace, security, or stability of the CAR. In addition, Hissene conspired with Mokom to disrupt a constitutional referendum held in December 2015. Les audiences de ce procès ont été retransmises intégralement à la radio et à la télévision. As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of these individuals within U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them. Map of situation in C.A.R. The Seleka’s rule was marked by corruption and human rights violations. According to Amnesty International, such attacks have led tens of thousands to leave CAR in “an exodus of historic proportions”. Centrafrique: des chefs rebelles nommés "conseillers militaires" Muslims, many with no connection to the rebels, have been targeted in reprisals by anti-balaka and civilians. Seleka dirigés par le chef de guerre Nourredine Adam – aussi connus sous le nom de ‘Nairobists’ – avaient été à l’origine des troubles qui ont sévi dans le pays à la fin de l’année 2015. “Today’s action underscores our ongoing efforts to target those responsible for fueling violence and human rights abuses in the Central African Republic.”. Anti-balaka spokesmen have called for members to be integrated into the army “with appropriate rank” or given demobilization packages. [6] Amnesty International reported in 2015 that some members of anti-balaka groups have forcibly converted Muslims to Christianity. Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona and Alfred Yekatom are accused of involvement in the crimes in their roles as senior leaders in the anti-Balaka militia as the country descended into war in 2013 to 2014. Breaking with the past means that the government must treat the question of armed groups and security politics in a transparent and equitable manner. De l’autre, à l’acharnement. After the coup, many members of the former government army, known by its French acronym, FACA, joined the anti-balaka. [14] In November 2013, the UN warned that the country was at risk of spiraling into genocide,[15] and was "descending into complete chaos". Eugène Barret Ngaïkosset: Anti-Balaka leader nicknamed 'butcher of Paoua' One of many suspected of war crimes and crimes against humanity, Ngaïkosset is still "roaming free" in CAR. By ousting Bozize and instating Muslim Michel Djotodia, a force stemming from the minority populations of CAR’s north and east finally held the reins of power. The Boda Anti-Balaka also threatened organizations distributing food aid to the surrounding population. How many of them were bona fide soldiers before the coup, and how many still consider themselves members of anti-balaka, was not clear. On 22 January 2018, the court found anti-Balaka commander General Andjilo guilty of criminal conspiracy, assassination, illegal possession of weapons of war, aggravated theft and sequestration. [réf. The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on 21 August 2015 designated Central African Republic (CAR) militia leaders pursuant to Executive Order (EO. Seleka members continued to engage in conflict with armed militia groups throughout the country, including with a group called the Young Patriots established in the final days of the Bozize regime to counter the Seleka and their supporters. Un des leaders des anti-balaka, Bérenger-Ludovic-Igor Lamaka Boutoungara, a été nommé chargé de mission au ministère du DDRR, s'occupant particulièrement de la démobilisation. Renversé en 2013 par une coalition de groupes armés dominée par les musulmans, la Séléka, François Bozizé Yangouvonda est accusé notamment par les Nations unies d'avoir organisé une contre-insurrection sanglante depuis son exil, celle des milices anti-balaka majoritairement chrétiennes et animistes. In February 2020, the court issued its first conviction on charges of crimes under international law, in relation to an attack on 13 May 2017 by the anti-Balaka group in Bangassou (South East). REUTERS/Camille Lepage President Francois Bozize was toppled by the Seleka rebels in March 2013 and forced into exile. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola Under sanctions (1) by the United Nations Security Council since 2015, Yekatom controlled around 10 strategic points during the conflict between 2013 and 2014. 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