BANGUI, Central African Republic
(AP) — African peacekeepers fired into the air Thursday in Central
African Republic's chaotic capital, trying to disperse a mob bent on
hunting down and killing Muslims taking refuge in a church compound
The unrest in
Bangui underscored the rage and uncertainty that remains in the capital
of the Central African Republic, despite the arrival of 1,600 French
soldiers and patrols by regional African peacekeepers. The two forces
are seeking to stabilize this impoverished, now lawless, country after
more than 500 people were killed last week in sectarian bloodshed.
In March, an alliance of mostly
Muslim rebels from the north tossed out the country's Christian
president in a coup that brought President Michel Djotodia to power.
Rage has mounted recently against the men who took part in that coup,
known as Seleka, who have also been accused of carrying out scores of
attacks on civilians since then.
On
Thursday, several thousand people stood by as a group of young men
lobbing huge rocks tried to break into the compound of the Saint-Jacques
Church in Bangui, looking for an ex-rebel general they believed to be
inside.
The crowd began
chanting "Kill him! Kill him!" as others placed a large felled tree in
front of the gate to prevent people from escaping from the refuge.
"He
has attacked everyone and is responsible for many abuses here in
Bangui," said Jonny Clevar, 18, as he and his friends stood near the
entrance to the church. "We want to kill him."
After firing their guns, the
regional peacekeepers hustled several men from the church compound
during the melee that ensued, although the men wore civilian clothing
and appeared to be Muslim clerics rather than ex-rebels. The mob hurled
rocks at the peacekeepers and their vehicles and only dispersed after
shots were fired, sending people scurrying behind trees for cover as
sirens blared.
Suspected
Seleka have come under growing threat in Bangui since massive bloodshed
erupted in the capital on Dec. 5. Christians are a majority in the
capital — and in Central African Republic — and months of resentment
toward the mostly Muslim leadership have been unleashed in a series of
attacks on people affiliated with Islam or with perceived links to them.
One
crowd earlier this week stoned to death a suspected Seleka member in
front of his house and then set his two cars ablaze as onlookers
watched.
Despite the melee
outside the church, daily life resumed in many other parts of the
capital. Gas stations and food markets reopened for the first time since
Christian militiamen attacked the capital on Dec. 5. More than 500
people have been killed in bouts of retaliatory violence in the days
that followed, and the U.N. estimates some 100,000 people have been
displaced from their homes in the capital alone by the violence.
French forces are trying to
disarm Bangui, a city awash in weapons after decades of coups and
rebellions, but they have faced a backlash from terrified residents. Two
French soldiers were killed earlier this week when they came under
attack from gunmen near the city's airport.
There
are an estimated 3,000 to 8,000 armed militia members belonging to
diverse alliances in Bangui. Most have abided by calls by the French and
African forces to hand in their weapons or return to their barracks,
said Col. Gilles Jaron, a French military spokesman.
"The
number of weapons circulating has dropped significantly in Bangui," he
said in Paris on Thursday. "What remains is a certain number of
individuals prone to carrying them or hiding them. It will take time to
try to find these people and the weapons caches."
Central
African Republic, which is about 85 percent Christian, had little
history of sectarian violence before the rebellion overthrew the
government nearly nine months ago. The rebels, whose motivations were
primarily economic at the outset, have been blamed for scores of
atrocities.
No comments:
Post a Comment