Six civilians killed in rebel attack on Central Africa village: UN

Rebelskilledsixciviliansand wounded several others Saturday in anattackonavillagein the northeast of the volatile Central African Republic, theUNpeacekeeping mission said.

"This morning at dawn elements from the 3R (Return, Reclamation, Rehabilitation) launched a large-scaleattackagainst C. African army positions in thevillageof Mann," the spokesman for theUN's 12,000-strong MINUSCA mission said.

"Sixcivilianswerekilledand several wounded," he added.

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Thevillageis about 550 kilometres (340 miles) from the capital Bangui, Lieutenant Colonel Abdoulaziz Fall told AFP.

"The situation is under control and patrols are under way," he said.

The 3R, arebelgroup composed of members from the Funali ethnic group, is one of several such outfits flourishing in the violence-wracked country.

CAR is the second least-developed country in the world according to theUNand is still suffering from the aftermath of a brutal civil conflict that erupted in 2013.

It has been wracked by coups and decades of misrule by dictators since its 1960 independence from France.

President Faustin Archange Touadera was re-elected in Decemberona turnout of fewer than one in three voters.

The ballot was hampered by armed groups -- including the 3R -- that at the time controlled around two-thirds of the country, and rebels mounted an offensive in the runup to polling day.

Since then, the army, backed byUNpeacekeepers, Rwandan special forces and Russian paramilitaries, has wrested much of the territory fromrebelcontrol.

OnThursday, theUNSecurity Council extended an arms embargoonthe country for 12 months as members voiced alarm at the "deteriorating" situation.

The extension -- which aims to prevent armed groups from acquiring weaponry -- is virtually the same as the last embargo but includes an exemptiononmortars.

Russian "instructors" have been aiding CAR's poorly-equipped national army since 2018, when Moscow first acknowledged sending personnel to help train its beleaguered forces.

The Russian paramilitaries supplied small arms, gaining exemption from the weapons embargo and are credited with helping strengthening CAR's army.

Last month,UNexperts accused the Russian instructors of having carried out "indiscriminate killings" and lootings.

Moscow insists the personnel are unarmed and not involved in fighting.

Russia has acknowledged the deployment of around 500 instructors butUNexperts estimate there could be up to 2,000.