Thousands of Central African Republic (CAR) residents trying to reach relatives who fled the country after the failed coup in May have been turned back by the military as they tried to cross the Ubangui River border to the DRC, AFP reported on Thursday. Before the announcement of the closure of the 1,000 km long border on Tuesday, people from the CAR capital Bangui had been crossing the river daily to Zongo in the DRC to where tens of thousands had fled. Bangui residents had been taking food to relatives, mainly from the southern Yakoma tribe, the ethnic group of former military ruler Andre Kolingba, whom CAR authorities blame for the coup bid. According to AFP, refugees fear reprisals by the CAR army, despite assurances from President Ange-Felix Patasse’s government that no such action will be taken.
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