2026.8.4 Le Parquet de Damara enquête sur le meurtre d’un ressortissant suisse et d’un militaire centrafricain
Le Parquet de Damara a ouvert une enquête judiciaire après le meurtre, mardi, d’un ressortissant suisse et d’un sergent-chef des Forces armées centrafricaines (FACA). Les deux hommes ont été enlevés lors d’une attaque menée par des hommes armés contre un chantier minier à Gbango-Carrière, sur l’axe Damara, avant d’être retrouvés morts au village Imohoro. Dans ce dossier, le procureur de la République près le tribunal de grande instance de Damara, Josué Ogbolo-Bougnade-Besson, répond aux questions d’Armando Yanguendji.
2026.8.4 Bangui : la Cour d’appel prononce une première condamnation lors de la session criminelle
La première session criminelle de l’année se poursuit à la Cour d’appel de Bangui. À l’ouverture des audiences, le 3 août, Saturnin Vomelema a été reconnu coupable d’assassinat et condamné à 15 ans de travaux forcés. La Cour l’a également condamné à verser cinq millions de francs CFA de dommages et intérêts à la partie civile. Retour sur ce procès avec Christ Roi Jordan Bandéngbé.
2026.8.3 Centrafrique: un ressortissant suisse et un soldat tués dans une attaque au nord de Bangui
En Centrafrique, un ressortissant suisse et un militaire des Forces armées centrafricaines ont été tués ce samedi après-midi suite à une attaque armée au village d’Imohoro, à une cinquantaine de kilomètres au nord de Bangui. Cette attaque, aux portes de la capitale, a effrayé les habitants de la localité, déjà confrontés à une insécurité récurrente. À ce stade, aucune revendication n’a été formulée et l’identité des assaillants reste inconnue. Les Forces armées centrafricaines ont renforcé les patrouilles et poursuivent des opérations de ratissage afin de retrouver les assaillants.
Dans les vidéos et les photos qui circulent sur les réseaux sociaux, on aperçoit les corps d’un militaire centrafricain et d’un homme blanc, allongés au sol en pleine brousse.
D’après les premières informations, ils s’étaient rendus dans cette localité dans le cadre d’une mission liée à la recherche d’or. L’une des victimes, un ressortissant suisse, était escorté par un sergent des Forces armées centrafricaines (FACA) lorsque leur convoi a été pris pour cible par des hommes armés non identifiés.
Alertée par les habitants, une unité des FACA, basée à Damara, à une dizaine de kilomètres du village d’Imohoro, est rapidement intervenue. Selon une source militaire, les soldats ont échangé des tirs avec les assaillants pendant quelques minutes, avant que ces derniers ne prennent la fuite.
Insécurité dans cette zone
« Les militaires ont ensuite récupéré les corps du sergent et du ressortissant suisse, qui ont été transférés à Bangui », confie cette même source. La délégation suisse en République centrafricaine n’a pas encore réagi à cette attaque.
Cette zone, située à une cinquantaine de kilomètres au nord de Bangui, est régulièrement confrontée à des attaques armées, des actes de banditisme et des braquages. Les habitants vivent dans un climat d’insécurité qui limite leurs déplacements et leurs activités quotidiennes.
Les autorités centrafricaines n’ont pas encore communiqué sur les circonstances exactes de cette attaque ni sur l’identité des assaillants.
2026.8.3 Swiss geologist and local miner kidnapped and killed in Central African Republic
BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — A Swiss geologist and a local miner were killed on Thursday in the Central African Republic, north of the capital, Bangui, according to a statement from the local public prosecutor’s office on Monday.
Luca Maggini and the miner were kidnapped by unidentified men in the evening and later killed, according to Frédéric Pounou, a geologist who was working alongside Maggini when he was kidnapped.
“It was as he was leaving that he fell into the hands of the attackers,” said Pounou.
The attack occurred near the village of Gbango-Carriere, 55 kilometers (34 miles) north of Bangui, and also resulted in the kidnapping of a staff sergeant in the Central African Army, according to the public prosecutor’s statement.
Maggini worked with ADMOG Gold, an Emirati company with contracts in the African country, according to Pounou.
The Central African Republic has faced years of instability, and it is one of the countries where Wagner, a Russian mercenary group, was first active in Africa.
Conflict began in the country in 2013 after mostly Muslim rebels seized power and forced then President François Bozizé to quit. The conflict was de-escalated by a 2019 peace deal between the government and 14 armed groups, but six of the groups later withdrew from the agreement.
2026.6.16 UN-backed court opens trial of former Central African Republic president Bozizé
BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — A U.N.-backed court in Central African Republic on Tuesday opened the trial of former President François Bozizé, who is accused of crimes against humanity for abuses committed by members of his security forces between 2009 and 2013.
The trial at the Special Criminal Court, a tribunal created in 2015 to prosecute serious crimes committed during the country’s conflicts, centers on abuses at a prison and a military training center in Bossembélé, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) northwest of the capital, Bangui.
Prosecutors accuse Bozizé of being responsible as a military commander for crimes committed by members of his presidential guard and other security forces, including “murder, enforced disappearance, torture, rape and other inhumane acts.”
Bozizé, 79, is being tried in absentia. He has been living in exile in Guinea-Bissau since 2023, and authorities there have refused to extradite him despite an international arrest warrant issued by the court in 2024.
The former president is the highest-ranking official ever tried by the court, which is struggling with a lack of funding and a chronic enforcement gap.
Bozizé’s lawyer, Marie Edith Douzima-Lawson, declined to comment on the proceedings ahead of the trial, saying only that the defense has “solid arguments.”
Three former military officials — Eugène Barret Ngaïkosset, Vianney Semndiro and Firmin Junior Danboy — are also on trial and are expected to appear in court.
Over 30 suspects wanted by the court in other cases are still at large, Amnesty International said in a statement Tuesday.
Bozizé seized power in a 2003 coup and ruled until 2013, when he was overthrown by the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel coalition. His ouster triggered years of violence between Seleka fighters and predominantly Christian Anti-balaka militias, leaving thousands of civilians dead.
A peace deal was signed in 2019, but six of the 14 armed groups involved in the deal later withdrew from it. Violence between government forces, allied militias and rebels is ongoing.
Maximin Lin Crozon Cazin, who says he was detained and tortured at Bossembélé during Bozizé’s rule, told The Associated Press he was disappointed the former president would not appear in court.
“It is unfortunate that François Bozizé does not have the courage to face justice in his own country,” Cazin said. “I expect this trial to establish the truth and provide reparations.”
Central African Republic is one of the poorest countries in the world. Despite vast reserves of gold, one in three people lives on less than $2 a day.
It also is one of the countries where Wagner, a Russian mercenary group, was first active in Africa. The group has been responsible for current President Faustin-Archange Touadéra’s security and for fighting rebel groups.
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Affaire « Bossembélé » : ouverture ce mardi devant la CPS du procès de François Bozizé et ses coaccusés
La Cour pénale spéciale (CPS) ouvre ce 16 juin à Bangui le procès de l’ancien président centrafricain François Bozizé et de plusieurs de ses coaccusés dans l’affaire dite « Bossembélé ». Poursuivis pour crimes contre l’humanité, ils sont accusés d’avoir participé ou contribué à des exactions commises entre 2009 et 2013. Selon la Cour, les faits reprochés concernent, notamment des meurtres, des disparitions forcées, des actes de torture, des viols ainsi que d’autres traitements inhumains attribués à des éléments de sa garde et à d’autres services de sécurité de l’époque. En exil en Guinée-Bissau depuis mars 2023, François Bozizé, 79 ans, sera jugé par contumace.
2026.4.8 Central African Republic frees Belgian-Portuguese NGO worker
The Central African Republic has freed a Belgian-Portuguese NGO worker who was serving a prison sentence for undermining state security, according to the Portuguese foreign ministry.
Portuguese authorities said Joseph Figueira Martin left the Central African Republic on Tuesday and was expected in Lisbon after over 22 months of detention.
His brother said that “the rumor is real and he should land in Lisbon in a couple of hours.”
Figueira was working for the American NGO Family Health International 360 when he was arrested in May 2024 in Zemio, a southeastern Central African town.
Authorities accused him of seeking help from an armed group to capture notorious Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Figueira was initially charged with conspiracy and espionage over his contacts with rebel fighters in the eastern region of Haut-Mbomou. In November, he was eventually sentenced to 10 years of hard labour for undermining state security.
His lawyer had denounced an “unfair” trial.
Figueiro was held in a military prison and had previously started a hunger strike to protest the conditions of his detention.
According to Portugal’s foreign minister, Figueira’s liberation was the result of long-term diplomatic efforts involving both the Portuguese and Belgian governments, as well as the European Union.
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