Prague, Oct 30 (CTK) – The security situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) has been the worst since 2014, Czech soldier and observer to CAR Marek Vydrzel, who recently returned from the country and was decorated in Prague, has told CTK.
Along with another two Czech observers, Vydrzel served in a year-long mission to CAR, which was part of the MINUSCA peacekeeping mission of the United Nations.
MINUSCA was deployed to CAR in 2014, when violence erupted in the African country following the seizure of CAR’s capital Bangui in 2013 by the Muslim rebel group Seleka, forcing the country’s President Francoise Bozize to flee.
Vydrzel mentioned the worsening security situation in CAR.
“We have also experienced attacks against the UN, there were casualties. Despite a ceasefire having been signed in Italy, the number of attacks is growing,” he said.
“Consequently, the security situation is very unpredictable and tends to aggravate,” he added.
Vydrzel described the mission as dangerous also due to the climatic conditions – excessive heat switching with subsequent cold weather with heavy rains.
Because he was deployed in an international team of observers as the only European, the cultural and social differences were the most difficult part, Vydrzel said.
The team consisted mostly of French-speaking soldiers since majority of the local population spoke French. Two to five members of the team were doing field work at a time, while one soldier would stay in the base to serve the radio transmitter.
Vydrzel and the other two observers to CAR were among the Czech military officers decorated at Prague’s Vitkov National Memorial on Friday for their participation in foreign missions.
