The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has announced the release of 19 Central African soldiers who were kidnapped on February 14 in the north of the country by the rebel Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC).
In a press release published by the Corbeau News portal, the CPC announced the »unilateral and voluntary release» of the fighters, criticizing the Government for not wanting to negotiate with them and criticizing the ineffective management of the Army.
According to the communiqué, the Government preferred to see the soldiers »rather dead than alive», in order to accuse the group and »discredit their struggle». They also directly criticized the Central African President, Faustin Archange Touadéra, for «sending the soldiers to the front without the necessary financial, logistical and material means».
The president, for his part, had condemned the day before this and other crimes of the CPC, affirming that »they will not remain unpunished», according to the Central African portal ‘Abangui’.
I would like to remind the CPC leaders of the meaning of international law and our Penal Code. Taking hostages is a heinous crime, which deserves the highest condemnation as it violates the inherent rights of individuals,» he said during a press conference.
The origin of this rebel group dates back to the elimination of the candidacy of former President François Bozizé, who returned to the country at the end of 2019 to run again for the Presidency. Following this, several armed groups, including some members of the 2015 peace agreement, formed the CPC to launch an offensive against the capital in an attempt to remove the current president from power.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
