Jack Zimba

  FET commander Sharon Namuchimba with Tukusi. Pictures by Jack Zimba Belinda Zimba attends to Tukusi's uncle. Clementine Zulu. Mama Fatima Adam. Dr Twaambo Sachose shows a local woman how to spray vegetables. Members of the FET prepare to go out in the field.   CAR diaries: Boy named Tukusi ·       Zambian female troops make impact in Birao JACK ZIMBA Birao   “WARI, wari!” the children shout as they run along our vehicle. I would learn later that “wari” referred to woman in the local language, sangho. In a Muslim-dominated society, women in combat with guns slung across their breasts is not a common sight, but in Birao, on the northern tip of Central African Republic (CAR), the female troops serving under the United Nations peace mission, MINUSCA, have made their presence felt. The women are deployed as part of Zambian troops in the northern region of this war-torn country. The Zambian troops were first deployed to CAR in 201...

  A Zambian peacekeeper and a rebel fighter stand their ground in Am Dafok. PICTURES JACK ZIMBA Mocko Abel Ouya (left) with ZAMBATT commander Lt. Col. Paul Sapezo after the meeting CHILDREN in Am Dafok welcome our convoy. OUR convoy heading to Am Dafok on the border with Sudan. Zambian troops arrive in Am Dafok .   CAR diaries: Meeting the rebels JACK ZIMBA   IT WAS New Year’s Eve, and I was riding in an armoured vehicle headed to a place called Am Dafok from Birao, the capital of Vakaga Prefecture in Central African Republic (CAR). Our convoy was made up of two Ratel Armoured Personnel Carrier mounted with a 14.5mm machine gun, two gun trucks (Toyota Land Cruisers) mounted with 12.7mm machine guns and a Zetros truck. Of course being cocooned in the armoured vehicle, with its thick skin, provided a sense of protection. But in a conflict zone, there are a thousand ways to die, and I imagined many possible ways with a sense of fear. However, the words of Lie...

  The Sultan of Birao, Mustapha Ahmed Amgabo was almost killed by an armed group last year. he was saved by Zambian troops. Leonard Mbele is the prefect of Vakaga. The star that has come to symbolise Birao. A woman rides a donkey in Birao. Pictures by Jack Zimba     CAR diaries: A place called Birao JACK ZIMBA Birao THERE is a place, somewhere in the northern part of Central African Republic (CAR), near the border with Sudan, called Birao. It is the administrative centre for Vakaga Prefecture (province). The CAR is divided into 16 prefectures. I had heard a lot about Birao from a Zambian soldier who once served here as a peacekeeper in 2015. By then, Birao was a rebel territory, and off-limits to both government and United Nations (UN) staff. But in 2015, the place was taken by Zambian troops under a UN mission known by its French acronym, MINUSCA. And now, here I was sitting in an Antonov 74-100 plane operated by the UN, heading to Birao from Bangui, the c...