Army frees child hostages held by cattle rustlers

An army unit in the Central African Republic has shot dead a cattle rustler and wounded five others in a successful bid to free four children the rustlers had taken hostage, state-owned Radio Centrafrique reported on Thursday.

The radio reported that one soldier was wounded in the operation near the town of Bossangoa, 305 km northwest of the capital, Bangui.

The cattle rustlers kidnapped the two boys and two girls, aged between seven and 11 years on Monday, demanding a ransom before they could free their captives. The army freed the children without paying the ransom.

The rescue operation took place two weeks after the country’s livestock federation, the Federation Nationale des Eleveurs Centrafricains, called for the intervention of the peace force of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States (CEMAC) to help free 10 other child hostages held by cattle rustlers.

Despite the efforts of the government and the 380-man CEMAC force to restore security across the nation, cattle rustlers and highway robbers continue to roam the northwest at will where some areas are inaccessible due to bad or non-existent roads. Most cattle farmers are still in hiding in the southern province of Ombella M’poko due to cattle raids. Some have resolved to migrate to neighbouring countries.

Meanwhile, the army has once again been accused of violating human rights in Bangui. The UN and Fondation Hirondelle-supported Radio Ndeke Luka reported on Thursday that soldiers had killed four members of a local self defence group in Bangui’s Cattin neighbourhood. The four bodies were found in a cemetery.

A Cattin resident said that the four were last seen boarding a military vehicle on Tuesday as they patrolled their neighbourhood.

In a meeting with the youth in June, CAR leader Francois Bozize told residents to organise neighbourhood patrols in a bid to curb increasing crime.

Human rights groups in the country have denounced other cases of gang-rape, armed robbery and killings.