The death of Sidiki Abas, leader of one of the most powerful armed groups in the Central African Republic, was formalized by the 3R movement. A very active group within the CPC, which since December has been trying to overthrow Bangui’s power. According to this group, he died on March 25 at the health center in the north of the country after injuries. He had been under UN sanctions since September 2020.
With our special correspondent in Bangui,Florence Morice
Rumors of Sidiki Abas’ death had been circulating for several months. But until now, his group refused to confirm it. According to the movement’s press release, the wounds that saw him go back to November 16, 2020, a month before the rebel offensive against Bangui. But several security and UN sources say it was in December last year that he was seriously injured during an ambush against one of his convoys.
3R is regularly accused of abuse
The 3R group originally presented itself as a “defender” of Fulani-herding communities in the northwestern country, but it is regularly accused of abuse. And although he is one of the fourteen armed groups that signed the peace agreement for 2019 in Khartoum, he has never really ceased to be active since. Just a few months after this agreement, Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the movement of war crimes, following the massacre of 46 civilians in three villages near Paoua.
Well equipped
According to several sources, Sidiki Abass was also the target of an investigation by the Special Criminal Court in Bangui, this hybrid court responsible for assessing serious human rights violations in the country since 2003. Well-equipped, 3R has been at the forefront of fighting against Bangui power since December. Their mastery of the terrain poses a serious threat to them despite the progress made by Allied forces in recent weeks.
► Read also: Central African Republic: UN sanctions Sidiki Abass, leader of armed group 3R
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