By John Ikani
Troops of Central African Republic (CAR) have been accused of attacking a Chadian military post.
A statement issued by Chad’s defence minister, Brahim Daoud Yaya, said the troops killed one soldier as well as kidnapped and executed five others, an action which he described as war crime.
According to the statement, the heavily armed assailants struck in the early hours of Sunday, attacking a post manned by 12 Chadian soldiers near Chad’s 1,000-km border with CAR.
Chad’s embassy in the CAR capital of Bangui was told by the head of CAR’s military police to collect the bodies of the five soldiers executed by CAR forces, it said.
“This extremely serious war crime and this premeditated murderous attack, planned and carried out within Chad … cannot go unpunished,” it said.
In the meantime, CAR which has been wrecked by instability since a 2013 rebellion ousted former President Francois Bozize is yet to respond to the allegations.
It is worthwhile to note that Chad is the dominant military force in the region. For a time it played a central role in African efforts to stabilise CAR, but withdrew its forces in 2014. At the time, Chadian troops were accused by many in CAR of siding with the mainly Muslim Seleka rebels.
