Since late July, certain information has been circulating online, claiming that the Mauritanian contingent of MINUSCA was intercepted by defense forces while allegedly transporting at least one hundred presumed mercenaries from Bambari. However, these are biased claims, as confirmed by official authorities contacted by AFC.
This information became highly viral on Facebook, with numerous shares, likes, and comments. For example, a screenshot of this widely shared post has been circulated 220 times, with over 575 likes and 101 comments in the discussion group “L’Afrique soutient Vladimir Poutine,” and was also relayed in various other groups, including the page 236 Actu.
The posts claimed: “CENTRAL AFRICA: SECURITY FORCES STOP A MINUSCA CONVOY. Bangui, July 28, 2021. Last night, exactly in the 5th district of the capital, Bangui, at 9:00 PM, the MINUSCA convoy from Mauritania, based in Bambari, was intercepted by government defense forces. According to the source, the MINUSCA convoy consisted of 5 container trucks filled with more than 100 mercenaries, and the source added that the convoy was well-escorted by an armored MINUSCA vehicle. After all the containers with people were transferred to the gendarmerie base and investigated, it was found that among the 100 mercenaries, there were French nationals.” Another post stated: “CAR: An NGO warns the Central African government of a possible infiltration of armed groups into the capital, Bangui. According to an NGO source, some UN peacekeepers were complicit in a possible infiltration of armed groups into the capital, who dressed in UN soldier uniforms…”
Why is this false? What are the real facts?
This unfounded rumor has been debunked by Central African authorities and MINUSCA.
To demystify this information and separate fact from fiction, the AFC editorial team contacted the Ministry of Defense and MINUSCA, who both rejected these allegations.
The arrested convoy did not contain mercenaries but rather MINUSCA peacekeepers, according to the Central African Ministry of Defense.
Captain Firmin Amolomalo, the communication officer of the Ministry of Defense, told AFC: “I formally deny this information. MINUSCA is a partner of the CAR. The intercepted convoy did not contain mercenaries but rather MINUSCA peacekeepers. This is a smear campaign against this institution.”
A false, defamatory, and propagandistic information, according to MINUSCA
MINUSCA spokesperson Vladimir Monteiro clarified: “This is false information with a defamatory and propagandistic nature, aiming to turn the authorities and the population against this institution.” Additionally, Lieutenant-Colonel Abdelaziz Sal, spokesperson for MINUSCA forces, explained: “These were Mauritanian peacekeepers who left Bambari and were heading to Bangui to go on leave. A few kilometers from Bangui, one of their vehicles broke down. After it was repaired, they arrived in Bangui at night. They were stopped by the security forces, and after a check, it was confirmed that they all belonged to MINUSCA, and they were subsequently released.”
Amid the ongoing militaro-political crises and the extension of the arms embargo on the Central African Republic by the UN Security Council, conspiracy theories against certain UN institutions on Central African soil continue to proliferate on social media.
Severin Garba / Fouf Kagna / AFC Editorial Team
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