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UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres strongly condemns the arrest, last Monday in the Central African capital, of four members of Minusca and calls for their immediate release. Immediately following, messages flooded African social networks accusing the military of an “attempted assassination of the Central African president” which was to land soon following. This Wednesday in Bangui, the Minusca held a press conference to deny these rumors.
With our correspondent in Bangui, Carol Valade
48 hours have passed since the arrest of four UN soldiers members of the French Foreign Legion at Bangui airport by the gendarmerie when they had just escorted the mission’s chief of staff to his flight. Accusations once morest them have spread on social networks. So, Vladimir Monteiro, spokesman for the Minusca, wants to silence the rumors.
« We have nothing to hide. Minusca, as the special representative said yesterday before the Security Council, is there as a partner, it is there as a friend, it has this regular commitment and what is written, what is said on social networks, it’s misinformation and we are here to provide elements that allow public opinion to understand this case “, he said in particular.
The public prosecutor announced last night the opening of an investigation. The four soldiers were on board a vehicle ” suspect “According to him, followed by the intelligence services” since several weeks », and not the traditional white 4X4s stamped UN.
« There was no vehicle but the vehicle request is being processed so that there is a solution. But these four agents had to perform their task, they were not going to sit idly by, especially since they had been brought in to carry out this task. And they rented this vehicle. Nothing prevents from the moment when it is a vehicle for official use to resort to this practice. »
The four UN agents are still in detention this evening. Attempts to secure their release have so far failed. The government has so far declined to comment on the case.
They are personnel, agents recruited by the United Nations to come and reinforce the protection system of the Chief of Staff. We have nothing to hide, Minusca is there as a partner, as a friend.
Vladimir Monteiro, porte-parole de la Minusca