French troops killed several militiamen in a clash in the north of the Central African Republic, the French army announced on Tuesday. The French troops called in air support from Chad as about 40 armed fighters attacked them on a road in the Nanga-Boguila region.

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The clash, 450 kilometres north-west of Bangui, lasted three hours and only ended when night fell, the French military reports.

There were no French casualties, the army says.

About 40 heavily armed fighters on a raid with motorcycles and pick-up trucks heading for the village of Boguila attacked a French reconnaissance mission, according to army spokesperson Colonel Gilles Jaron.

“Faced with the aggressiveness of this adversary, the French force had to use heavy weapons, missiles and anti-tank missiles,” Jaron said. “There was aerial support from fighter jets from N’Djamena.”

When night fell the rebels withdrew, some of their fighters having been killed.

The African force, Misca, has no presence in the area, where a number of attacks, attributed to the Muslim-based Seleka movement or Peul tribesmen, have been reported.

On Saturday a health centre run by French-base NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) was attacked and 22 people, including three MSF employees, were killed.



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