On the morning of 13 January 2021, militias of the newly formed Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) — an alliance of rebel groups, including 3R, the Popular Front for the Rebirth of Central Africa and anti-Balaka groups — launched two simultaneous attacks in the outskirts of the capital Bangui. The assailants, who were armed with high-powered firearms and rocket launchers, targeted security personnel in the northern PK11 and PK12 neighborhoods, as well as in the town of Bimbo — located approximately 10 km (6 mi) southwest of central Bangui. Cabinet ministers claimed that security personnel repelled the attacks, which killed at least one U.N. peacekeeper and wounded another. The U.S. Embassy in Bangui has issued a shelter-in-place order for its personnel, citing the clashes. Please see the Government Warnings section below.

Analyst Comment: The latest assaults mark the first time the militias have reached the outskirts of the capital after intensifying their military offensive against government forces following the 27 December general election, in which incumbent President Faustin-Archange Touadéra won a second term. The CPC, which has the support of former President François Bozizé, came into existence shortly before the election. The country’s constitutional court had prohibited Bozize from participating in the election.