RADIO NDEKE LUKA (Central African Republic), NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR (France)
BANGUI – Unidentified rebels attacked and plundered a uranium plant operated by French energy giant Areva in Bakouma in the Central African Republic reports the Nouvel Observateur.
According to the Radio Ndeke Luka, Central African Armed Forces (FACA) were unable to contain the assailants, who were heavily armed and had taken them by surprise.
The rebels attacked the city of Bakouma, creating a panic. “It was a stampede”, says the radio’s local correspondent. No one knows yet if there are any victims.
Unconfirmed reports say the Areva director of operations for The Central African Republic, Jean-Francois Millian in Bakouma during the attack, as well as four other French employees.
Radio Ndeke Luka suspects that the rebels might be members of Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) who is active in the region. A multinational force headed by the African Union and advised by U.S. troops has been fighting the LRA for a year.
The radio reports Chad’s Front Populaire pour le Redressement (FPR) rebel movement, headed by General Baba Laddé is also present in the region and another possible suspect in the attacks.