UN troops attacked in CAfrican capital after security sweep

United Nations troops came under attack overnight in the heart of the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), a UN spokesman said today.

The incident occurred shortly after UN peacekeepers and CAR troops launched an operation targeting armed groups in a flashpoint district of Bangui. At least two people were killed and dozens wounded during the joint operation, according to UN and medical sources.

Hours later, UN troops were attacked in the institutional district of Bangui, near the presidential palace, in the first such incident since President Faustin-Archange Touadera was elected in 2016.

"There was an attack lasting about half an hour, which singled out MINUSCA," the mission's spokesman, Vladimir Monteiro, told AFP.

"We are checking who was behind the attack. We returned fire and sent reinforcements. The attack was not directed against a CAR institution."