Dozens of bodies recovered after violence in Central African Republic
Reuters - 46 mins ago
By Paul-Marin Ngoupana
BANGUI (Reuters) - Red Cross workers have recovered 44 bodies from the
streets of Central African Republic's capital Bangui, they said on
Thursday after inter-religious fighting in the last two days.
Six Chadian peacekeepers have also been killed in the former French
colony, while judicial authorities said they had uncovered a mass
grave with 30 bodies, many of them showing signs of torture, near a
military base used by Seleka rebels.
The rebels seized power in March, unleashing a wave of looting and
killing on the mostly Christian population. Thousands of French and
African troops have struggled to contain a flare-up in violence in the
last week.
The mostly Muslim Seleka and Christian self-defense militias have
carried out tit-for-tat attacks on each other and on the local
population.
Georgios Georgantas, head of an International Committee of the Red
Cross delegation, said the 44 bodies were probably only a fraction of
those killed in Bangui in the last two days given that his team had
been unable to go into parts of the city.
"Violence has been at extremely high levels," Georgantas told Reuters
by telephone. "We have information about more bodies in certain parts
of town which we have been unable to access because the fighting was
so intense."
A representative of medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres at
Bangui's main hospital said it had seen more than 50 people since
Wednesday night with gunshot or machete wounds from the fighting which
raged for hours across Bangui.
A spokesman for the African Union peacekeeping mission (MISCA) said
Chadian peacekeepers were attacked by gunmen in the Gabongo
neighborhood near the airport on Wednesday.
"The number of Chadian soldiers killed has risen to six because one of
them died from his wounds this morning," Elio Yao told Reuters. He
could not give a precise total for the number of African peacekeepers
killed so far in the crisis.
Two French troops were killed just days after Paris deployed a
1,600-strong peacekeeping mission in its former colony in early
December under a U.N. mandate to protect civilians.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement on Thursday
that he was appalled by the continued violence, including the reports
of dozens more bodies found on the streets of Bangui.
Ban also said he was saddened by the deaths of the six peacekeepers.
"Their mission is to provide desperately needed security. They are not
part of the conflict between Central Africans," he said.
The violence eased on Thursday as French peacekeepers took up
positions on main roads near the airport and in troubled
neighborhoods, although sporadic shooting was reported in several
areas during the morning.
Many say the bloodshed has little to do with religion in a nation
where Muslims and Christians long lived in peace. Instead, they blame
a political battle for control over resources in one of Africa's most
weakly-governed states.
MASS GRAVE
Bangui's Public Prosecutor Ghislain Gresenguet said authorities on
Wednesday discovered some 30 bodies clustered near the Roux military
camp by a hill on the edge of Bangui. The corpses were scattered over
a 200-metre (yard) area.
"Some of the bodies were tied up. Others had big gashes and wounds
which showed that they had been tortured," Gresenguet told Radio
France International. "They were likely killed somewhere else and
dumped there."
The Christian militia, known as 'anti-balaka' which means anti-machete
in the local Sango language, accuse Chadian forces of supporting the
Seleka rebels. Chad strongly denies this.
MISCA's commanding officer, Martin Tumenta Chomu, said on Tuesday
Chadian troops would be moved outside the capital to northern Central
African Republic. The 4,000-strong MISCA force is scheduled to reach
6,000 soldiers by the end of January.
Colonel Gilles Jaron, spokesman for the French military, said France
was deploying troops to flashpoints in the city, such as the Gabongo
and Bacongo neighborhoods.
France's force, code-named Sangaris, has between 1,000 and 1,200 men
in Bangui, with the rest deployed in the interior.
"The Sangaris force has not been the target of coordinated attacks. We
are the target of sporadic shooting which we respond to each time," he
said.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is drafting plans for a possible
U.N. peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic.
(Additional reporting by Marine Pennetier in Paris, Daniel Flynn in
Dakar and Michelle Nichols in New York; Writing by Daniel Flynn;
Editing by Hugh Lawson and Ruth Pitchford)
60 comments

Central Africa spiraled into chaos after a March coup in which the
mainly Muslim Seleka rebel group overthrew President Francois Bozize.
Rebel leader Michel Djotodia was installed as president and disbanded
Seleka, however many of the rebels went rogue, spreading terror which
government forces could not stop. Or was the directive given to
eliminate and subjugate the Christians. Forced to live as Second Class
Citizens with no rights under a Muslim Rule, the Christians rose up to
defend their home land and the Human Rights. Yet the UN and France
step in, Not to defend a Christian Nation after a violent coup of
their Government by Muslims, Not for the defense of the Human Rights
Violations against the Christians, But to stop the fighting between
the Christians and the USURPERS, forcing the Christians to live under
the Conditions imposed by force by Michel Djotodia, the Leader of the
Coup. Could someone please explain to me how France and the UN can
justify this as unbiased, fair, or KEEPING THE PEACE?
Facebook / Awareofevents, 9 hrs ago

Having the Chadian troops there is like throwing fuel on a fire. It is
well known that the government of Chad allowed its citizens to join
the seleka rebels and many reports show they gave them aid. Throw in
the fact that the seleka are muslims who overthrew a government which
was christian in a country which has a population of 50% christian and
only 15% muslim you have a problem. The chadian forces are muslim and
no one doubts where their sypathies are. As long as chadian forces are
there, the chances of a full blown civil war errupting are magnified.
Not only a civil war, but a chance of violence breaking out between
the various forces of the AU forces who are not muslims against the
chadian forces.
Jay, 3 hrs ago

Islam still uses this part of the world as a source of slaves and is a
religion of deviants.
Jack, 4 hrs ago

Islam has stopped any development in most of Africa since the Start of
Islam using it as a source of Slaves.
Jack, 4 hrs ago

Islam has destroyed any development that would allow Africans to
defend themselves from the Zombie Army.
Jack, 4 hrs ago
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