The Central African Republic has yet to fully emerge from a civil war fought partly along religious lines. Although the Islamist rebel group, Séléka, has been driven out of many parts of the country, attacks against Christians continue in the capital, Bangui, and in the mainly Muslim northeast. Christians have been forced to flee from their villages and are denied access to farming fields. Large groups of Christians live in extremely poor conditions in refugee camps.
Central African Republic Christians petition for President’s removal
Michel Djotodia, President of the Central African Republic.Crispin for World Watch Monitor One person has been killed and around 40 wounded after African Union (AU) troops reportedly fired at a group of Christian protestors in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR). The Christians had gathered near the […]
CAR: Djotodia to speak to militias
Central African Republic President Michel Djotodia has offered to speak to the leaders of so-called “Christian” militias, reports the BBC, in attempt to deal with the worsening sectarian conflict. Speaking to French RFI radio, he said he was ready to “extend his hand”. A former rebel leader, Djotodia became the […]
Three pastors among dead in Central African Republic
More than 400 people died in three days of violence, according to the Red Cross.World Watch Monitor Three pastors were among those killed in the recent interfaith violence in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic. Pastors Raymond Doui, 46, Elisha Zama, 33, and Jean-Louis Makamba, 48, were killed […]
Scores killed in Central African Republic
Dozens of people are being treated in the corridors of overcrowded hospitals.World Watch Monitor Three days of sectarian violence have left hundreds dead in the Central African Republic capital. An offensive in Bangui by Christian-dominated anti-Balaka militias on Dec. 5 sparked fierce reprisals from mainly Muslim Séléka rebel forces. In […]
Séléka attacks hospital in CAR
Séléka forces attacked a hospital in the Central African Republic capital of Bangui on Friday, killing at least a dozen patients, Al Jazeera reports. Gunmen pulled patients from the hospital and shot them. The hospital has been abandoned. The attack occurred as additional French forces began deploying throughout the northwest […]
UN endorses more military in Central African Republic
The United Nations Security Council has authorised the expansion of an African military force inside the Central African Republic to counter a rising spiral of sectarian violence. Against a backdrop of fresh deadly violence in the CAR capital of Bangui, Thursday’s unanimous vote of the 15-member council provides a mandate to the […]
Satellite evidence of CAR destruction
Human Rights Watch has released satellite images of the destruction caused during a recent attack on the village of Camp Bangui in the Central African Republic. The images, recorded on the morning of November 23, show half the village burnt to the ground. The New York-based rights organisation said it […]
UN consensus builds to send force to Central African Republic
Consensus is emerging to begin “contingency planning” to send a UN peacekeeping force to the lawless Central African Republic, the UN’s No. 2 official said on Monday. Until a UN force, estimated at 6,000 soldiers and 1,700 police, can be deployed, Deputy Secretary-General Jan Liasson urged the UN Security Council […]
Kony urged to surrender in CAR
The President of the Central African Republic (CAR) has been in contact with warlord Joseph Kony, head of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), urging him to surrender, reports Reuters. However, the African Union’s (AU) special envoy on the LRA told the UN that Kony has “used the negotiations as a […]
Ban Ki-moon warns Central African Republic ‘spiralling into anarchy’
Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, pictured in 2012.Africa Renewal / Flickr / Creative Commons The UN Secretary General Ban-Ki moon said on Monday (Nov. 18) that anarchy in the Central African Republic risks spiralling further out of control, and could need up to 9,000 peacekeepers. In a […]