Obo

For other uses, see OBO.

Obo
The Catholic mission at Obo
Obo Location in Central African Republic
Coordinates: 5°24′N26°30′E / 5.400°N 26.500°E / 5.400; 26.500
Country	Central African Republic
Prefecture	Haut-Mbomou
Government
• Sub-prefect	Dieudonné Yapouléla-Youffi [1]
• Mayor	Mireille Ndosse [2]
Population  (2003) [3] [ needs update ]
• Total	7,187

Obo is the capital of Haut-Mbomou, one of the 14 prefectures of the Central African Republic. It is close to the African Pole of Inaccessibility.

History

Obo was named after the local Zande chief Ogbo, with the spelling changed slightly in later years. Ogbo ruled the territory between the Mbokou and Kamou rivers. However, a conflict emerged when nearby Chief Gougbéré annexed much of Ogbo's territory on the pretext that the inhabitants were from the same ethnic group as him. Ogbo petitioned Sultan Zémio, who was his first cousin once removed, to help, but the sultan did not intervene. Ogbo then asked French colonial captain Maurice Martin to mediate in 1910. Martin sided with Ogbo's land claims, but said that any new settlements should be allowed to remain. ^[4]

French military general Jean Baptiste Marchand passed through the area on his journey to find the source of the Nile. When he failed to find access to the river, the settlement became a cul-de-sac and he moved on in a different direction. ^[4]

The Africa Inland Mission established a presence in the town in 1925 with the Linquist family, who came from Zemio. It was one of a number of evangelical missions among the Zande areas of Ubangi-Shari and the Belgian Congo. ^[4]

On the night of 5 March 2008, Obo witnessed the first LRA's attack. The group attacked the AIM neighborhood and abducted 73 residents. ^[5]

Central African Republic Civil War (2012-present)

On 24 May 2013, 40-80 Arrow Boys militias from South Sudan attacked Obo. The attack was foiled and 29 militias were captured. They were put into prison of Obo Gendarmerie and seven of them died on the first day of their imprisonment. ^[6]

On 9 May 2020 armed forces repelled an attack by the Union for Peace in the Central African Republic armed group on Obo, killing 11 militants. ^[7] They repelled another attack on 18 May ^[8] and another on 20 May, killing 12 militants. ^[9] Between 26 and 27 July 2021, government forces repelled another attack on Obo by rebel groups affiliated with the Coalition of Patriots for Change. One Central African Armed Forces soldier was killed. ^[10] With their town severely damaged by the attack, the residents of Obo organized a mass protest over MINUSCA's ineffectiveness at preventing violence in the area. ^[11]

Azande Ani Kpi Gbe attacked FACA military base in Obo on 5 April 2023 as a response to the arrest of its two members. The attack lasted for twenty minutes and the militia withdrew from the city. They claimed that the attack was a warning to the government. ^[12] On 13 August 2023, Azande Ani Kpi Gbe kidnapped a Muslim resident in the town, thus resulting in a clash between FACA and the militia. One Azande milia was wounded and at night, several shops in the town were burned. ^[13]

Healthcare

The town hosts the only hospital in Haut Mbomou Prefecture, Hôpital Préfectoral de Obo. Besides that, Obo has one health center run by the Centre Médicale Evangélique de Obo, ex AIM.

Media

The town has one radio which is Radio Zereda. ^[14]

Transport

The Poste Airport (now closed) is located near to the prefecture in town. ^[15] The current airport was constructed in the early 1980s by the Africa Inland Mission - AIM.

Gallery

• 
  The Protestant mission (ex AIM) at Obo, as seen from the rear.
• 
  Lakouanga Market
• 
  A motorcycle in Obo
• 
  The Obo Airfield (AIM) at the start of the dry season.

References

1. Ndeke Luka, Ndeke Luka. "Centrafrique : retour au calme à Obo après des échanges de tirs". radiondekeluka.org. Radio Ndeke Luka. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
2. Mocky, Aymard Gilles Quentin. "Centrafrique: la maire d'Obo appelle les bélligérants à cesser les violences". radioguira.org. Radio Guira. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
3. "Central African Republic: Prefectures, Major Cities & Towns - Population Statistics in Maps and Charts". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
4. Bradshaw, Richard; Fandos-Rius, Juan (2016). Historical Dictionary of the Central African Republic (New ed.). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 493, 498. ISBN   9780810879911.
5. Cakaj, Ledio (2015). "Chapter 12:In Unclaimed Land The Lord's Resistance Army in CAR". In Carayannis, Tatiana; Lombard, Louisa (eds.). Making Sense of the Central African Republic. Zed Books. p. 273.
6. Schomerus, Mareike; Vries, Lotje de (2021). "Chapter 12: Tall Tales and Borderline Cases". In Gallien, Max; Weigand, Florian (eds.). The Routledge Handbook of Smuggling. p. 161.
7. "Obo : 11 éléments de l'UPC d'Ali Darass abattus et plusieurs blessés suite à de violents affrontements avec les FACA". 10 May 2020.
8. "Violent combat entre FACA et UPC à Obo, au sud-est de la République centrafricaine". CNC. 18 May 2020.
9. "Centrafrique-Obo: Les FACA repoussent une nouvelle attaque de l'UPC". 21 May 2020.
10. Centrafrique : Un mort dans une attaque des rebelles au sud-Est du pays, 27 July 2021
11. "Central African Republic: Who is responsible for the attack in the South-East?". Vanguard . 10 August 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
12. Ndoumba, Felix. "Centrafrique : nouvelle attaque de la base de l'armée nationale à Obo". corbeaunews-centrafrique. Corbeaunews Centrafrique. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
13. Élie, Mborifouefelle. "Tension à Obo : retour des tirs assourdissants dans la ville, des boutiques incendiées". corbeaunews-centrafrique. Corbeaunews Centrafrique. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
14. FREE PRESS UNLIMITED, FREE PRESS UNLIMITED. "Community radio station re-opened in Central African Republic". freepressunlimited.org. Free Press Unlimited. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
15. FEFB - Obo (Poste Airport), HM, CF - Airport - Great Circle Mapper