Battle of Nyabari

Battle of Nyabari
Part of Eastern Lyoa Conflict
LNDF soldiers during the battle.
Date December 26, 2019-present (4 years, 11 months, 3 weeks and 5 days) Location Nyabari, Kazima, Lyoa Status Ongoing NCLOF forces control southern outskirts of Nyabari Hundreds of civilians flee
Belligerents
Lyoa	National Coalition of Lyoan Opposition Forces
Commanders and leaders
Kemoh Foday (President of Lyoa) Cpt. Joseph Uktaru (LNDF Garrison Commander)	Gen. August Yakata (Chairman of the NCLOF) Col. David Ngataba (1st Overall Ground Commander, UFD Third Formation Commander) Maj. Cyprien Nakuta (2nd Overall Ground Commander, NRF Alikah Platoon Commander)
Units involved
Lyoa National Defense Force Lyoa National Army Elements of the 14th Infantry Division Lyoa National Police Force Nyabari Police Department	Union for Democracy Third Formation National Renewal Forces Alikah Platoon 19th of March Platoon Resistance and Unity Front 1st Legion
Strength
400+ soldiers 50+ police	500+ fighters
Casualties and losses
26 killed	24 killed
33+ civilians killed Several hundred displaced

The Battle of Nyabari is an ongoing battle in the city of Nyabari between elements of the National Coalition of Lyoan Opposition Forces and the government of Lyoa. The battle began on December 26, 2019 after NCLOF elements entered the city with the intentions of capturing it.

The battle has resulted in a large scale fleeing of civilians from the city, and some damage to structures. So far, clashes have been limited to the southern outskirts of the city, as this is where rebel forces have established themselves. Parts of the Nyabari Police Department are also involved in the clashes, assisting the local LNDF garrison in fighting against rebel forces. Reports state that three NCLOF groups are involved, the Union for Democracy, the National Renewal Forces, and the Resistance and Unity Front.

Background

The NCLOF was founded in 2017 as a merger of 12 different armed groups with similar goals intending to overthrow Lyoa's government. It came to be one of the more powerful groups participating in the Lyoan Armed Conflict. The threat of the group has largely been ignored by the Lyoan government, despite regularly clashing with the group. This has been a strategy of the Lyoan government to ensure confidence in its leadership, as correctly assessing the threat of armed groups would show weak leadership. This caused the NCLOF to be able to grow to be the largest armed group in Lyoa.

On the night of December 25th, it was reported that NCLOF elements were moving towards Nyabari by local sources. This alarmed some locals, who believed that a battle would take place. This came true, as the following morning, the NCLOF entered the city.