Muslims Leave Central African Republic Capital Under Escort
By REUTERS APRIL 27, 2014
BANGUI, Central African Republic — Peacekeeping troops escorted about 1,300 Muslims out of Bangui on Sunday, setting off looting and removing one of the last pockets of Muslims from the capital of a nation torn apart by religious violence.
That strife also flared in an attack that killed at least 22 people about 280 miles north of Bangui on Saturday, including 15 local chiefs and three local staff members of the charity Médecins Sans Frontières.
Gilles Xavier Nguembassa, a former member of Parliament for the area, said most died in Nanga Boguila when mainly Muslim rebels went to the group’s clinic in search of money while local chiefs were meeting there.
In Bangui, peacekeepers stood by as Christians, some armed with machetes and bows and arrows, swarmed into and picked apart houses in the PK12 neighborhood, which had been a Muslim stronghold in the majority-Christian south. “We are leaving to save our lives,” said Mohamed Ali Mohamed, who was born and brought up in the area.
Some of the departing Muslims burned their cars, as they could not take them in the convoy but did not want Christians to be able to use them once they had left.
Mainly Muslim rebels seized Bangui last year after complaining of marginalization by President François Bozizé’s government. Their time in power was marked by abuses and killings that led to the creation of Christian self-defense militias.
Michel Djotodia, the rebel leader who took over as president after Mr. Bozizé’s ouster, resigned in January under international pressure as violence spiraled out of control. The interim authorities, backed by French and African peacekeepers, are still struggling to restore order.
“For many years we lived together, but they were the ones who brought the weapons here to kill us,” said Dieudonne Bignilaba, a Christian resident of Bangui.
Attack in Central African Republic kills 22, including chiefs, MSF staff
An African Union peacekeeper stands guard as anti-Balaka militiamen were spotted close to where Muslim families are preparing to be evacuated by road in an armed convoy, near the PK 12 neighbourhood in Bangui April 27, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Siegfried Modola
By Crispin Dembassa-Kette BANGUI Mon Apr 28, 2014 7:49am BST
(Reuters) - At least 22 people, including 15 local chiefs and three members of staff of the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, were killed in an attack on a town in the Central African Republic, officials said on Sunday.
The attack on Saturday was in Nanga Boguila, about 450 km (280 miles) north of the capital Bangui. Some 2,000 French and over 5,000 African peacekeepers are struggling to halt waves of violence that have gripped the country over the last 18 months.
Gilles Xavier Nguembassa, a former member of parliament for the area, said four people were killed as the assailants approached the town but most died when Seleka rebels went to an MSF-run health clinic in search of money.
The attack took place while local chiefs were holding a meeting there and the gunmen opened fire when some of the chiefs tried to run away, he said.
"Fifteen of the local chiefs were killed on the spot," he told Reuters, citing witnesses he had spoken to. A local representative of the Bangui government confirmed the incident.
A spokesman for MSF confirmed the deaths of its staff but gave no further details. Seleka officials were not immediately available for comment.
The mainly Muslim Seleka forces seized Bangui in March 2013 but their time in power was scarred by killings and other rights abuses, prompting the creation of the mainly Christian "anti-balaka" self-defence militia.
Seleka leaders stepped down in January under intense international pressure but the peacekeepers and a weak interim government have failed to stamp their authority on the country, which has seen little but political instability and conflict since independence from France in 1960.
Underscoring the depth of the crisis, peacekeepers escorted around 1,300 Muslims out of Bangui on Sunday, triggering looting and removing one of the last pockets of Muslims from the capital, deepening Muslim-Christian divisions.
Around a million people have fled their homes during the crisis and human rights officials say parts of the country have seen "religious cleansing".
(Reporting by Crispin Dembassa-Kette; Writing by David Lewis; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli)
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