Baboua is a town and an administrative area ( sub-prefecture) located within the

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 ...

Nana-Mambéré Nana-Mambéré is one of the 16 prefectures of the Central African Republic. It covers an area of 26,600 km and has a population of 233,666 (2003 census). The capital is Bouar. It was part of Kamerun when it was a German colony between 1 ...

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 ...

(CAR), approximately north-west of

Bangui Bangui () (or Bangî in Sango, formerly written Bangi in English) is the capital and largest city of the Central African Republic. It was established as a French outpost in 1889 and named after its location on the northern bank of the Ubangi ...

, the nation's capital. The town is located on the CAR's border with

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

, and is across the border from the Cameroonian town of

Garoua-Boulaï Garoua-Boulaï (or Garoua-Boulay) is a town and commune in Cameroon. The town is on the border with the Central African Republic. Across the border, the nearest CAR settlement accessible by road is Baboua. Refugees In 2014, the town was severe ...

. Baboua is home to the Evangelical Lutheran Seminary and Lutheran Bible School. Tongo Lutheran Church is also located in Baboua.

History

Since around 2013 Baboua area had been under control of FDPC armed group. On 16 July 2015 multiple people including major, sub-prefect and priest were kidnapped by FDPC in Baboua. They were released in July 2016. In May 2017 it was reported that Baboua was under control of security forces. On 1 May 2020 3R rebel group took control of Baboua. They withdrew on 5 May. On 21 December 2020 Baboua was captured by 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 ...

. It was recaptured by government forces on 10 February 2021.

Schools

In Baboua there are at least 4 levels of schooling: preschool, elementary, bible school, and seminary. Over half of the children in the town are not enrolled in school. All schools in Baboua are affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Both Christian and Muslim students attend the schools. At the Lutheran Bible School, students can study the Bible, human rights, agriculture, and health.

Festivals

There is an annual parade in Baboua to celebrate CAR's independence from France.

References

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