Carnot is a city located in the south west of 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 th ...

(CAR), in the prefecture of

Mambéré-Kadéï Mambéré-Kadéï is one of the 16 prefectures of the Central African Republic. The prefecture covers 30,203 km2 and had a population of 289,688 as of the 2003 census, giving a population density of less than 10 inhabitants/km2. Its capital ...

. It has a population of 54,551 (2012 census), making it the fourth largest city in CAR by population, and the second largest city of the prefecture after

Berbérati Berbérati is the second-largest city in the Central African Republic, with a population of 105,155(2013 census). Located in the south-west of the country near the border with Cameroon, it serves as capital of the Mambéré-Kadéï Prefecture and g ...

. The city takes its name as a tribute to the assassinated French President Sadi Carnot. The city is situated on the eastern bank of the

Mambéré river Mambéré is a prefecture 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 th ...

, and is served by Carnot Airport. Yams, cassava, and cotton are cultivated, and cattle are reared in the area. The region lacks a functioning health service and is affected by an extremely high mortality rate and a high disease burden of

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

and

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

History

In 1894, François Joseph Clozel founded a French military post near the village of Tendira. The locality was given the name ''Carnot'' in homage to the French president assassinated in 1894: Sadi Carnot (1837-1894). In 1902, the town became home to the 5th company of the 1st RTS ( Senegalese Rifle Regiment), a corps of colonial infantry in the French army. On 4 November 1911, as part of the Franco-German Accord, an agreement that ended the

Agadir Crisis The Agadir Crisis, Agadir Incident, or Second Moroccan Crisis was a brief crisis sparked by the deployment of a substantial force of French troops in the interior of Morocco in April 1911 and the deployment of the German gunboat to Agadir, a ...

, Carnot was ceded to the German Cameroon (Kamerun). While claimed by Germany, the region became known as

Neukamerun Neukamerun was the name of Central African territories ceded by the Third French Republic to the German Empire in 1911. Upon taking office in 1907, Theodor Seitz, governor of Kamerun, advocated the acquisition of territories from the French Co ...

. During the First World War, the Kamerun campaign (1914), saw the departure of the German occupiers. As a result of this, France then re-claimed the region. By decree on 12 December 1920, Carnot became the capital of a subdivision of the district of Haute-Sangha, then the capital of the district of Mambéré-Lobaye, in French Congo (Colonie du Moyen-Congo). The city was involved in the

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Thailand, Malaysia, an ...

trade. From the middle of the 1920s onward, cars and roads were introduced to the area. A ferry across the Mambéré was commissioned in 1926. The region was struck by an earthquake in 1934. The following year a Protestant mission was built in Carnot. French soldiers departed from the city in 1937. In 1938, Berbers and

Fulani The Fula, Fulani, or Fulɓe people ( ff, Fulɓe, ; french: Peul, links=no; ha, Fulani or Hilani; pt, Fula, links=no; wo, Pël; bm, Fulaw) are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Sahel and West Africa, widely dispersed across the region. ...

peoples arrived from North Africa and settled in the area. The first mosque was built in Carnot in 1940, and a bridge over the river Mambéré was constructed in 1944. The city is the seat of the Roman Catholic parish of Notre-Dame de la Mambéré de Carnot founded in 1945; it depends on the diocese of Berbérati. The collapse of the mining industry in 2009, and resulting impoverishment of much of the population in Carnot, exacerbated the already poor health situation resulting in high levels of

malnutrition Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues ...

and mortality.

Civil war

On 1 February 2014 Seleka withdrew from Carnot leaving city under

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 ...

control. Local Muslims were subject to threats and attacks. More than 18 people were killed until 8 February. In July 2017 it was reported to be under control of security forces. On 27 December 2020 rebels from

Coalition of Patriots for Change The Coalition of Patriots for Change (''Coalition des patriotes pour le changement'') is a coalition of major rebel groups in the Central African Republic created in 2020 to disrupt the 2020–21 Central African general election. Background O ...

took control of Carnot. They withdrew from the town on 30 December after looting public buildings and burning voting cards.

Notable people

* Alexandre Banza

References

Sub-prefectures of the Central African Republic Populated places in the Central African Republic Populated places in Mambéré-Kadéï {{CentralAfricanRepublic-geo-stub