At least 25 people have been killed and 51 others wounded in clashes in the northeast of the Central African Republic, according to the country’s communications minister.
Fighting between armed groups in Ndele led to the deaths of 21 civilians, Ange-Maxime Kazigui said on Thursday, adding that “the situation remains confused.”
Humanitarian workers, however, said that members of the Popular Front for the Rebirth of the Central African Republic (FPRC) had clashed in Ndele the previous day.
“The Gula wing of the FPRC attacked the Runga faction” in Ndele on Wednesday, an official from the country’s United Nations mission, known by its French acronym MINUSCA, told AFP news agency on condition of anonymity.
“There were about 100 Gulas who entered the town wearing civilian clothes,” the official said.
There have been clashes between Runga and Gula in Ndele, which is under FPRC control, since the start of March.
The FPRC last year split into two factions: the Runga ethnic group on one side, including FPRC’s military chief Abdoulaye Hissene, and rival fighters from the Gula and Kara ethnic communities on the other side.
They are fighting for control of the region’s resources, including its vast diamond deposits.
