Central African Republic

At least 20 people have drowned in Central African Republic after a ferry sank while carrying passengers on a river, witnesses said on Saturday. The wooden ferry was carrying more than 300 people to a funeral over the Mpoko River in the capital, Bangui, on Friday when it started to collapse, witnesses told The Associated Press on Saturday. Local boat pilots and fishermen were the first to react and rescued victims and collected bodies from the river before the emergency services arrived. One fisherman who involved in the rescue, Adrien Mossamo, said that at least 20 bodies were found while waiting for the military to arrive. It's a horrible day, he said. The death toll is rising as the military takes over the search, officials at Bangui University Hospital Center said. The exact number of deaths is currently unknown and the government didn't comment. Civil society groups and local political parties sent their condolences in social media posts and called for an inquest into the

A joint venture of state-owned RVNL and private steel player Salasar Techno Engineering has bagged a transmission project worth around Rs 60 crore in central African nation Rwanda. The order has been secured from Energy Development Corporation Limited (EDCL) and to be executed in 18 months, Salasar Techno Engineering Limited (STEL) said in a statement on Friday. The Rwanda Transmission System Reinforcement and Last Mile Connectivity project (TSRLMC) worth USD 7.152 million equivalent to Rs 596.21 million (Rs 59.6 crore) is for plant design, supply and installation of 45.8 km, 110 KV double circuit Rukarara-Huye-Gisagara transmission lines, it said. Earlier this month, the JV bagged a transmission project worth around Rs 174 crore from the Madhya Pradesh government. While Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) holds a 51 per cent stake in the joint venture, STEL owns the remaining 49 per cent. RVNL, under the Ministry of Railways, is involved in development, financing and implementation of ra

Landlocked in the heart of Africa, the Central African Republic is seeking Indian investors to mine its abundant natural resources ranging from oil, uranium and lithium to gold, diamonds, iron ore and copper. The African nation's Minister for Economy Lea Doumta, who led a delegation on a two-day visit here, said her country is "mighty impressed" with India's growth and development model and is keen to emulate it. "We see India as a role model and are keen to partner with its government and companies in our economic progress," she told PTI here. Bordered by Cameroon, Chad, the two Congos, and the two Sudans, the Central African Republic is one of the poorest nations despite its abundant natural resources. According to the World Bank, the former French colony has 470 minerals, with oil, gold and diamonds having the greatest potential. Diamonds account for nearly half of the country's total export earnings. A nation comparable to the size of Ukraine has the largest reserve of iron or

The country is following the lead of El Salvador, which in September became the first nation to introduce Bitcoin as legal tender

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemns the arrest of four members of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Central African Republic, calls for immediate release.

The United Nations (UN) mission in the Central African Republic (CAR) strongly condemns an attack by members of the presidential guard which wounded 10 peacekeepers, a UN spokesman has said.

The UN Security Council strongly condemned violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the Central African Republic

Iran and the Central African Republic are in arrears on paying their dues to the United Nations' operating budget and will lose their voting rights in the 193-member General Assembly

Violence in CAR over recent years has claimed thousands of lives and prompted hundreds of thousands to flee their homes