Attacks on military is war crime – Chad’s Defense minister

Chad’s defence ministry, Brahim Daoud Yaya on Sunday said troops of neighbouring Central African Republic (CAR) had attacked a Chadian military post, killed one soldier, and kidnapped and executed five others – actions it said amounted to a war crime.

The heavily armed assailants struck in the early hours of Sunday, attacking a post manned by 12 Chadian soldiers near Chad’s 1,000-km border with CAR, the ministry said in a statement.

Chad’s embassy in the CAR capital of Bangui was told by the head of CAR’s military police to collect the bodies of the five soldiers executed by CAR forces, it said.

“This extremely serious war crime and this premeditated murderous attack, planned and carried out within Chad … cannot go unpunished,” it said.

There was no immediate response to the allegations from the Central African Republic, which has been wracked by instability since a 2013 rebellion ousted former President Francois Bozize.

Chad is the dominant military force in the region. For a time it played a central role in African efforts to stabilise CAR, but withdrew its forces in 2014. At the time, Chadian troops were accused by many in CAR of siding with the mainly Muslim Seleka rebels.

Suzan O /REU