Obo is the capital of

Haut-Mbomou Haut-Mbomou is one of the 16 prefectures of the Central African Republic. Its capital is Obo Obo is the capital of Haut-Mbomou, one of the 14 Prefectures of the Central African Republic, prefectures of the Central African Republic. It is clos ...

, one of the 14 prefectures 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 ...

. It is close to the African Pole of Inaccessibility.

Poste Airport Poste Airport is an airport serving Obo, a town in the Haut-Mbomou prefecture of the Central African Republic. The airport is on the northwest corner of the town. See also * * *Transport in the Central African Republic Modes of transport in t ...

is located near the town.

History

Obo was named after the local Zande chief Orbo, with the spelling changed slightly in later years. Orbo ruled the territory between the Mbokou and Kamou rivers. However, a conflict emerged when nearby Chief Gougbéré annexed much of Orbo's territory on the pretext that the inhabitants were from the same ethnic group as him. Orbo petitioned Sultan Zémio, who was his first cousin once removed, to help, but the sultan did not intervene. Orbo then asked French colonial captain Maurice Martin to mediate in 1910. Martin sided with Orbo's land claims, but said that any new settlements should be allowed to remain. French military general Jean Baptiste Marchand passed through the area on his journey to find the source of the

Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest ...

. When he failed to find access to the river, the settlement became a cul-de-sac and he moved on in a different direction. The

Africa Inland Mission Established in 1895, Africa Inland Mission (AIM) is a Christian mission sending agency focused on Africa. Their stated mission is to see "Christ-centered churches established among all African peoples." AIM established the Kapsowar Hospital in 19 ...

established a presence in the town in 1925, run by the Linquist family. It was one of a number of evangelical missions among the Zande areas 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 ...

and the

Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...

. On the night of 5 March 2008, Obo witnessed the first LRA's attack. The group attacked the AIM neighborhood and abducted 73 residents.

Central African Republic Civil War (2012-present)

On 9 May 2020 armed forces repelled an attack by the

Union for Peace in the Central African Republic Union for Peace in the Central African Republic (UPC, french: Unité pour la paix en Centrafrique) is a rebel group in the Central African Republic which controls southern parts of the country. History UPC was formed on 17 September 2014 by A ...

armed group on Obo, killing 11 militants. They repelled another attack on 18 May and another on 20 May, killing 12 militants. Between 26 and 27 July 2021, government forces repelled another attack on Obo by rebel groups affiliated with the

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 ...

. One

Central African Armed Forces The Central African Armed Forces (french: Forces armées centrafricaines; FACA) are the armed forces of the Central African Republic and have been barely functional since the outbreak of the civil war in 2012. Today they are among the world's we ...

soldier was killed.Centrafrique : Un mort dans une attaque des rebelles au sud-Est du pays
27 July 2021 With their town severely damaged by the attack, the residents of Obo organized a mass protest over

MINUSCA United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (also called MINUSCA, which is an initialism of its French name Mission multidimensionnelle intégrée des Nations unies pour la stabilisation en Ce ...

's ineffectiveness at preventing violence in the area.

Gallery

File:Obo Mission Main House.JPG, The Protestant mission at Obo, as seen from the rear. File:Obo Mission Airfield, Central Africa Republic.JPG, Obo mission Airfield at the start of the dry season.

References

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