On 6 October 2021 34 civilians were murdered in attack on Matchka village 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 ...

Attack

On 5 October 2021 around 12:00 a 18-wheeler truck carrying passengers and goodsBambari : au moins une trentaine de civils tués dans l’attaque d’un camion de transport en commun par des éléments présumés de l’UPC
6 October 2021 has left the city of

Bambari Bambari is a town in the Central African Republic, lying on the Ouaka River. It has a population of 41,356 (2003 census) and is the capital of Ouaka prefecture. Bambari is an important market town and is home to Bambari Airport, and the R ...

for

Alindao Alindao is a town and sub-prefecture located in the Central African Republic prefecture of Basse-Kotto. It lies at the junction of the National Route 2 and 22. Alindao had a population of 14,401 as of the 2003 census; and a calculated 2013 pop ...

. At 13:00 the truck was stopped by group of armed men. They forced passengers to get out of bus and undress. They stripped them of all their belongings. They set fire to vehicle and two motorcycles. Then they opened fire on people killing many including men, women and children. After withdrawing armed men have killed three motorcycle drivers before disappearing.Centrafrique : Au moins 15 morts dans un guet-apens des hommes armés proche de Bambari
5 October 2021 In video shared on social media one of attackers was shouting "Allah Akbar" reportedly imitating Arabic language. Gunfire from one side was also heard. By 7 October 2021 the number of casulties has risen to 34 deaths.

Responsibility

Initially rebels from

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 Al ...

led by

Ali Darassa Ali Darassa Mahamat (born 22 September 1978), also known as Ali Nassaraza Darassa, Ali Daras, and Ali Ndarass is a Nigerian leader of the Central African rebel group, the Union for Peace in the Central African Republic (UPC), which is dominant ...

were blamed for the massacre. According to RJDH-RCA

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 ...

fighters allied with UPC also participated in the attack. On 10 October UPC officially denied responsibility for the massacre. On 15 October CorbeauNews identified General Kiri as responsible for the massacre. He belongs to UPC splinter faction led by Hassan Bouba.Massacre de Matchika : une nouvelle révélation, Hassan Bouba et son bras droit Kiri pointés du doigt
18 October 2021

External links

Alleged video from the massacre
(''originally posted by CorbeauNews, archived by Internet Archive'')

References

{{Reflist Central African Republic Civil War October 2021 events in Africa 2021 in the Central African Republic Conflicts in 2021 Massacres in the Central African Republic Massacres in 2021