Rafaï is a town and sub-prefecture on the

Chinko River The Chinko River (or Shinko River) is a river of the Central African Republic. It is a right tributary of the Mbomou River. Environment The upper reaches of the Chinko river define the border between the Haute-Kotto and Haut-Mbomou prefectures. ...

, 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 th ...

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin ''Praefectura'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain international ...

Mbomou :''Mbomou'' can also refer to the Mbomou River The Mbomou River or Bomu (also spelled M'bomou in French) forms part of the boundary between the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Mbomou merges wit ...

. Its estimated population is about 14,000 people.

History

The

Sultanate of Rafaï This article includes a list of successive Islamic states and Muslim dynasties beginning with the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (570–632 CE) and the early Muslim conquests that spread Islam outside of the Arabian Peninsula, and continuin ...

was the last of

Ubangi-Shari Ubangi-Shari (french: Oubangui-Chari) was a French colony in central Africa, a part of French Equatorial Africa. It was named after the Ubangi and Chari rivers along which it was colonised. It was established on 29 December 1903, from the U ...

to still have its sultan. The last sultan assumed the throne in 1909. On 12 March 2013 Rafaï was captured by Seleka rebels. On 3 March 2018 it was captured by UPC rebels, but three days later it was recaptured by

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 ...

. On 26 March 2021 it was reported that 14 rebels with automatic weapons were stationed near centre of Rafaï. On 30 October armed forces returned to Rafai after eight years of absence.Centrafrique : les Faca de retour à Rafaï après huit ans d’absence
2 November 2021

Transport

Rafaï has a small civilian airport with a 4,249 foot unpaved runway.

Notes

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