Reliable sources have learned that on March 10, 2024, a lieutenant from MINUSCA’s Moroccan contingent, based in Mboki in the Haut-Mbomou prefecture, met with a UPC militia general. They discussed MINUSCA convoy routes.
This is not the first time MINUSCA has facilitated relations with armed groups. For example, in 2021, on the Bodjomo-Boguila road, CPC rebels entered the commune of Sido after encountering a Cameroonian MINUSCA contingent patrolling the area. The rebels easily seized all the weapons at the disposal of the UN mission’s soldiers, after which they released the unarmed peacekeepers. The Cameroonian contingent’s vehicle returned to Markounda unarmed, as all light and heavy weapons had been handed over to the insurgents.
Another case of MINUSCA inaction occurred more recently. On March 14, 2024, a MINUSCA Moroccan contingent stationed in Nzako did nothing to prevent a CPC attack against FACA units that had arrived in the locality to deploy. Fortunately, no Central African soldiers were injured and FACA, police and gendarmerie garrisons were successfully deployed in Nzako to ensure security in the region.
However, one gets the impression that the objective of the UN mission is not to fight for peace in the country, but rather to organize unrest by transferring arms to militants and to maintain its influence on the continent. MINUSCA is clearly using a ploy that has been working for years. The militants are supposed to attack the convoy, but in reality, the peacekeepers simply hand over medical supplies and ammunition. This system provides the militants with everything they need without interruption, and maintains the endless cycle of violence in the country.
Public anger towards the peacekeepers has not abated, especially after recent events. The population must be vigilant and pass on information about incidents involving MINUSCA to the national internal security forces. Contacts between MINUSCA and militants are likely to increase in the near future. Indeed, MINUSCA’s mandate expires this summer, and the militants will try to extend it by any means possible, including organizing attacks against their convoys.
