Bambari is a town in the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of the C ...

, lying on the Ouaka River. It has a population of 41,356 (2003 census) and is the capital of Ouaka prefecture. Bambari is an important

market town A market town is a Human settlement, settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular marketplace, market; this distinguished it from a village or ...

and is home to Bambari Airport, and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bambari.

Mining

Large deposits of

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the ...

have been discovered in the vicinity of Bambari, though the considerable distance to the sea—1500 km—probably makes exploitatation of these reserves doubtful in the near future. A heavy duty

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

and a deepwater

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as ...

in a neighbouring country would be required. The mining resource also includes iron deposits at Bakala.

History

On 23 December 2012 Bambari was captured by rebels from

Séléka Séléka CPSK-CPJP-UFDR was an alliance of rebel militia groups that subjugated the Central African Republic (CAR) on 24 March 2013. After its official dissolution in September 2013, the remaining rebel groups became known as Ex-Séléka. Sél� ...

coalition. On 24 June 2014 100

Anti-balaka The Anti-balaka is an alliance of militia groups based in the Central African Republic in the early 21st century said to be composed primarily of Christians. However, some church leaders have contested the claimed exclusively Christian character ...

fighters attacked Bambari. 46 people were killed and 28 wounded. In 2015 it was reported that Bambari was split with Anti-balaka controlling the part west of Oukana river and ex-Seleka controlling the eastern part of the city. On 22 February 2017 Ali Darassa and most rebels from Union for Peace in the Central African Republic withdrew from Bambari. Anti-balaka leader followed shortly after. On 10 January 2019 UPC rebels attacked Bambari. The attack was repelled after seven days of battle by government and international forces. More than 40 rebels were killed. On 8 December 2020 clashes erupted between FACA and UPC rebels in Bambari resulting in a few rebels being killed. On 22 December UPC took control of Bambari. They withdrew day after, but later returned. Government forces finally fully recaptured Bambari on 18 February 2021.

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as tropical wet and dry (Aw).

References

{{Sub-prefectures of the Central African Republic Sub-prefectures of the Central African Republic Populated places in Ouaka

Mining

History

Climate

See also

References