[4] On 4 December 2017 Anti-balaka fighters led by Jean-Francis Diandi attacked international forces in Bria killing one Mauritanian peacekeeper.

[7][8] On 25–6 January 2020 the MLCJ attacked Bria capturing more than 60% of the city after 24 hours of clashes with FPRC.

[9] On 28 January both groups signed ceasefire promising to withdraw fighters from parts of the town.

[13] Since 15 December 2021, Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group have arrested numerous people – mainly youths – inside the town, leading to reported human rights abuses.

[14][15] Bria has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw), with a lengthy though not intense wet season from mid-March to October and a relatively short and mostly rainless dry season from November to mid-March.