Thierry François Pelenga alias Bokassa is an
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 ...
leader and war criminal from
Haute-Kotto
Haute-Kotto is one of the 16 prefectures of the Central African Republic. Its capital is Bria. It is the largest prefecture in the Central African Republic
The Central African Republic (CAR; ; , RCA; , or , ) is a landlocked country in C ...
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 the southeast, the DR Congo to the south, the Republic of th ...
.
War
As a member of
Banda ethnic group, Pelenga was a leader of one of the Banda self-defense groups in
Bria under influence of
FPRC. In June 2016 he was elected zone commander of Bria's subprefecture. Maxime Mokom reportedly approached him and tried to persuade him to join Anti-balaka forces. Initially he refused.
In February 2018 he was reportedly one of leaders of Anti-balaka in PK3 camp in
Bria, Central African Republic, together with
Jean-Francis Diandi, also known as Ramazani. At this point he was 35 years old. In June 2018 he killed four women in the village of
Gbre, five kilometers from Bria. The next day, his fighters killed three people.
In December 2020 he left Bria to join
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 ...
in Bambari. Later he returned with his fighters to Bria-Igrabanda road. Several cases of sexual violence have been reported since his arrival. In July 2021 he was reportedly based in Igrabanda south of Bria. On 31 July he agreed to disarm 50 of his fighters. Government forces collected 31 weapons.
Centrafrique : Une centaine d’éléments armés de la CPC de Bria dans la Haute-Kotto déposent volontairement leurs armes
31 July 2021
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pelenga, Thierry François
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Leaders of Anti-balaka