Rebel fighters captured the southern diamond-mining city of Bangassou in the Central African Republic

Rebel fighters captured the southern diamond-mining city of Bangassou in the Central African Republic on Sunday, weeks after they were accused of an attempted coup and ahead of partial results from a tense presidential election.

At least five rebels were killed and two army soldiers wounded in the clashes in the Central African city of Bangassou, which lies on the southern border with Democratic Republic of Congo, the UN peacekeeping mission MINUSCA said in a statement.https://platform.twitter.com/embed/index.html?creatorScreenName=France24_en&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1345763485351870466&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.france24.com%2Fen%2Fafrica%2F20210104-rebels-capture-central-african-car-diamond-mining-city-of-bangassou&siteScreenName=FRANCE24&theme=light&widgetsVersion=ed20a2b%3A1601588405575&width=550px

Bangassou (Southeastern #RCA) target of a violent attack this morning of 3/01. MINUSCA peacekeepers are successfully protecting the population and robust patrols are being conducted in town. pic.twitter.com/FGcIBXTdo5— MINUSCA (@UN_CAR) January 3, 2021