IED event in Ouham-PendŽ, Bozoum area, Central African Republic on Sat 25th February 2023

Two soldiers of the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) and an element of the Russian forces were dead and five others wounded this Saturday in the northwest of the Central African Republic (CAR), following the passage of their vehicle over an explosive device, sources told us Sunday. A FACA vehicle and its Russian instructors hit an explosive device about 22 km from the town of Bozoum, capital of the Ouham-PendŽ prefecture (northwest), on Saturday evening during their patrol on the Bozoum-Bossangoa road, several sources confirmed. The rebels of the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), active in this locality, planted explosive devices to halt the progress of loyalist forces and their Russian allies who have been conducting sweeping operations lately, a UN source in Bozoum said on condition of anonymity. "After the incident, two deaths were recorded on the spot, including a FACA soldier and a Russian element, and five seriously wounded in the Russian ranks. The lifeless bodies and the wounded were transported by helicopter to the town of Bouar (northwest)," Bozoum MP Gervais Nguerekane told Xinhua by telephone. Contacted by Xinhua, the secretary general of the Ouham-PendŽ prefecture, Faustin Tita, confirmed the information and added that another wounded FACA soldier had died in Bouar hospital from his injuries.