At least four dead in second day of clashes in Central African Republic

[Valin]

Reuters:

Crispin Dembasse-Kette

Sep 27, 2015

 

BANGUI At least four people were shot dead on Sunday in the capital of Central African Republic, hospital sources said, in a second day of inter-religious clashes that the government said were aimed at derailing elections next month. Armed Christian militia members roamed the streets and protesters erected barricades in Bangui, a day after at least 21 people were killed and another 100 were wounded when Muslims attacked a mainly Christian neighborhood.

 

The two days of clashes, sparked by the murder of a Muslim man, were the worst this year in the city, where U.N. peacekeepers and French troops are meant to ensure security. Angry young men used tree trunks to block Bangui's main arteries early on Sunday. Soldiers from the U.N. peacekeeping mission, MINUSCA, fired tear gas at crowds in an unsuccessful attempt to clear the roads. Witnesses reported hearing sporadic gunfire in parts of the city and saw homes and shops being looted.

 

The government on Sunday ordered a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in an attempt to quell the violence. "Enough is enough. We want (President Catherine) Samba-Panza to go. Since she's been there the Muslims kill with impunity. She's doing nothing to disarm them," said one protester who declined to give his name. Thousands of Central Africans have died and hundreds of thousands remain displaced after two years of violence that erupted after mainly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in the majority Christian country in 2013.

 

(Snip)