CAR diaries: Meeting the rebels

 

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 Lieutenant Colonel Paul Sapezo, who was leading our party, were more than assuring.

"You can only die when I'm dead,” he had told me and two other journalists joining the Zambian troops on the mission.

Lt. Col. Sapezo is a straight-talking, tough-looking army man who previously served in Sierra Leon and Sudan, and now serves as battalion commander for a 910-strong Zambian force deployed in CAR under the United Nations mission, MINUSCA, to deal with armed rebellion.

Unlike Birao, Am Dafok, which lies on the border with Sudan, is still under rebel control, and is considered a hotspot for rebel activity by ZAMBATT, as the Zambian battalion is popularly known as.

The Popular Front for the Rebirth of Central African Republic (FPRC) is active in Am Dafok. Their strength in the whole region – mostly the northern part of the country - is believed to be around 1,000 fighters.

But their influence reaches the capital, Bangui.

The group is headed by Noureddine Adam, who, in March 2013, played a decisive role in the final offensive in Bangui, which overthrew President François Bozizé.

But both men are now fighting against President Faustin-Archange Touadéra’s government.

The ZAMBATT commander was on a mission to meet the zone commander for the FPRC, a man called Mocko Abel Ouya, to try and negotiate peace, and to negotiate the release of a vehicle. 

Two weeks before our visit to Am Dafok, the FPRC had grabbed two vehicles hired by the Doctors Without Borders (MSF) to deliver medical supplies to the outpost.

One of the vehicles was recovered, but the rebels were still holding onto the other, and demanding ransom before they could release it.

NO GOVERNMENT

Just like Birao, Am Dafok is a backwater place devoid of any development. Its 14,000 inhabitants are mostly herders.

There is no government authority in Am Dafok whatsoever, although the republican flag flies over the small settlement.

And although it is only 65km from Birao, the journey to Am Dafok takes about three hours, because the road is not really a road. It is typically a seasonal wild track that becomes impassable during the rainy season, which, in this region lasts up to eight months.

Notwithstanding, this road still serves as an important international route, as all supplies for this part of CAR come from Sudan, including fuel for the UN vehicles.

We drove in clouds of dust, tree branches whipping against our vehicles. Many times, the gunner standing through the hatch of our armoured vehicle had to duck to avoid been lashed by low hanging tree branches.

A few times, even the Toyota Land Cruisers needed a little nudge from the more powerful Zetros truck to pull through the sand.

After a grueling three hours, we finally arrived in Am Dafok and were welcomed by hordes of children running along our small convoy in wild excitement. Some of the children flashed a thumbs-up at the troops, while the adults waved at us.

But immediately we came out of the vehicles, the presence of rebels became visible – rough-looking young men in combat moved about with AK-47 rifles.

Our team was immediately ushered to a meeting place, a simple shelter.

Mocko and two other leaders from the FPRC were waiting to meet us.

About 30 men from the community also attended the meeting, sitting on a mat laid on the ground. I saw two of the young men with daggers tucked under their belts.

But it seemed something was amiss.

Mocko appeared unsettled. He was busy making calls and fidgeting with his phone.

Then he got up and disappeared into another compound across the road, only to return moments later, still punching on his phone keypad.

It was an awkward moment that lasted about 15 minutes.

Mocko is a very unassuming, softly spoken fella, and does not pass for a rebel leader, judging by his looks.

But he is still the commander here, and his power lies in the gun.

Two of his young men with AK-47 rifles held positions at the entrance to the compound, finger on trigger.

The only consolation was that the blue helmets had more fire power, and had also taken strategic positions around the meeting place. It was checkmate for the rebels.

The peace mission in CAR is mandated to use maximum force to suppress their enemy if need be.

But the ZAMBATT commander also believes a coin has three sides, and on this mission, he wanted dialogue.

He made it clear from the outset that he had come in peace, and to promote peace.

“Without peace, you cannot have meaningful development. You must understand that despite having different ethnic groups, you are the same people. Let us put our difference aside,” he said.

“It is our desire as MINUSCA, and as your brothers and sisters from Zambia, that we can see peace prevail in this country so that our brothers and sisters enjoy the peace that other countries are enjoying, but where the situation requires us to step in and protect the community, we will not hesitate because we have the mandate to protect the lives of the people,” he said.

It was an indirect warning to the armed group.

Mocko got the message, but he was defensive.

He said the FPRC took up arms to protect themselves, because the area has no state security.

The conflict in CAR has many dimensions, but here the major causes are ethnic, poverty and a long porous border shared with Sudan and Chad, two countries that have not been politically stable themselves.

From were we sat, Sudan was just 100m away. But there was nothing to show this was an international border.

The rebels have a list of demands from the government of President Touadéra, whom they claim they helped to get the presidency.

“As you can see, the government has abandoned us,” said Mocko. “We do not have a hospital and we do not have schools to take our children. We are on our own.”

The rebels also want to be included in the national army.

Idris Yahya is the political adviser for FPRC in Am Dafok.

When he spoke, there was defiance in his voice.

He accused the government of manipulating the peace efforts and the peace agreement signed in Khartoum, Sudan.

“We will stand our ground and we will leave the rest to MINUSCA. You are our mediator,” he said.

“You are not our enemy, we regard you as our own,” he told the ZAMBATT commander.

Idris accused President Touadéra of betraying their trust.

“Up to now he does not recognise us as citizens of Central African Republic, but we speak the same language. Where do we belong? He keeps accusing us of being mercenaries,” he said.

And when the ZAMBATT commander asked about the vehicle, Mocko was apologetic about the incident. But he blamed a faction within the FPRC of holding on to it.
"We want to hand back the vehicle, but the other group wants money," he said.
But the Colonel was uncompromising.

“The UN does not pay ransom,” he said.
The rebels promised to return the vehicle soon.
Winning the minds of people like Mocko is only a small step that cannot guarantee long-lasting peace.

Mahmoud Yahya Abu Dahabaya, who is consular for the Sudanese government in Birao, said part of the solution to end rebel activities in this region is to form a multinational military force to patrol the long border.

Not too long ago, the countries sharing this long border had agreed to form a tripartite force to offer security and stop cross-border rebel activities.

There is only one problem – CAR does not have a standing army to talk about.

The FACA, the national army, is only a shadow, and its fighters have been known to simply melt away when the rebels show up.

 “We asked the Central African Republic to provide more soldiers, until now they have not done so,” complained Mr Dahabaya.

The tripartite comprises of Chad, Sudan and CAR.

Each country was to contribute 500 soldiers, but CAR only provided 50.

The meeting with the FPRC ended with handshakes and smiles, but no real commitment from the rebel group to lay down arms.

As we returned to the ZAMBATT base in Birao, I wondered what future lay ahead for CAR in the New Year. There was no end in sight to the conflict.

Lt. Col. Sapezo and his troops have a hard task ahead.

Later that evening, as the clock struck midnight, and the troops went into a frenzy to welcome the New Year, dancing to Meiway’s Zoblazo, two or three gun shots rang out in the distance.

I turned to see if there was any expression on the commander’s face. There was none.