The Central African justice announced, Monday, June 12, the opening of a judicial investigation against the former president of the Transition in the Central African Republic (2013-2016), Ferdinand-Alexandre N’Guendet.
The prosecutor at the High Court of Bangui indicates, in a press release, to have “noted in recent times that a group of people presenting themselves as active members of a criminal organization called Collective of Free Officers of the Central African Armed Forces ( Cofac), is at the origin of multiple manifestly subversive statements on social networks tending to cause serious disturbances to order and peace in the city of Bangui”.
The document highlights a publication of May 18, 2023 in which this criminal group informs of the appointment of a certain Rodrigue Charly Kokama as spokesperson for Cofac. The latter published a video that has gone viral, in which he calls on the forces of a popular insurrection followed by a coup d’etat, while appealing to the former president of the Transition, in order to overthrow the power in place.
“As to answer the call, Mr. Ferdinand Alexandre N’Guendet has declared himself head of the transitional state”, notes the press release, adding that justice has thus opened an investigation against the spokesperson of Cofac and N ‘Guendet for “insurrectionary movement against the public authorities with a view to destabilizing the institutions of the Republic”.
Last week, the Central African army dissociated itself from a statement made on June 1, 2023 on social networks by the former president, stressing that it had responded favorably to the call of certain officers who would have asked him to overthrow the regime. in place.
“Mr. Nguendet wanted to make it clear to the Central African people, to the diplomatic and consular representations accredited in the CAR and to the international community that he accepted the call of the personnel of the defense and security forces; by targeting the sphere of general officers whose surnames, first names and service numbers were clumsily cited in order to take the political leadership of the country in an unconstitutional manner”, denounced a member of the collective of general officers of the national army, the Brigadier General Arcadius Bétibangui.
“It is important to note that the army remains and remains loyal and apolitical. This irresponsible speech constitutes for the defense and security forces an attack on democracy, an incitement to rebellion, a recourse to violence and a non-respect of human rights in the Central African Republic”, insists the press release of the collective.
And to add, “the defense and security forces would like to remind him that the stripes in the armies are rewards governed by texts on the general status of the soldier. Its declaration of June 1, 2023, according to the notion of national defense, is a major threat against the Central African State, its territorial integrity as well as the current form of institutions”.
The defense and security forces and the collective of general officers say they are taking “the necessary measures and reserve the right to take Mr. Nguendet to court”.
By OMA Newsletter N° 1215 of 14/06/2023
Article published under the direction of Dr. Najib Kettani
The OMA, NGO with an Intercontinental vocation
For the development of cultural exchanges
Valuing human potential
The promotion and consolidation of Africa’s development, and
Inter-African integration
