Armed Forces Operating in Eastern CAR

A patchwork of military forces and other armed groups currently operate in LRA-affected areas of eastern CAR. In Haut Mbomou prefecture, Ugandan military (UPDF) troops remain in control of major towns, though they faced a temporary threat from a poorly-equipped armed group that approached the town of Obo in April 2013. The group reportedly consisted primarily of farmers from neighboring South Sudan misled into thinking they would be attacking the LRA. A small contingent of troops from the Central African Armed Forces (FACA), the national military force under the deposed Bozizé government, also remains in Obo. In Vakaga prefecture, the Tripartite Force — which bring together troops from Chad, CAR, and Sudan — remains deployed in the regional capital of Birao.

In Mbomou prefecture, Seleka rebels occupied and looted communities in LRA-affected areas following the March coup, displacing hundreds of people along the Bangassou-Rafai and Bangassou-Bakouma roads. In mid-July, a UFDR faction of Seleka attempted to wrest control of Bangassou from the CPSK faction, leading to clashes that left several dead. Seleka also remains in control of Haut Kotto, with troops deployed in towns such as Bria and Sam Ouandja. Humanitarian and protection actors have very limited access to both Mbomou and Haut Kotto, making it very difficult for them to investigate and confirm reports of armed group activity. LRA Crisis Tracker records include 16 reported LRA attacks in these two prefectures in the first six months of 2013 that were not officially tallied in this report's attack, abduction, and killing totals because protection actors were unable to investigate the incidents and confirm the reported details.