×

Violent Attacks: Central African Republic Leader Leaves UN Early

The Interim President of Central African Republic, Catherine Samba-Panza, hurriedly left the United Nations General Assembly in New York to attend to the worst violence … Continue reading Violent Attacks: Central African Republic Leader Leaves UN Early


Catherine Samba-Panza leaves UN assembly earlyThe Interim President of Central African Republic, Catherine Samba-Panza, hurriedly left the United Nations General Assembly in New York to attend to the worst violence in the country’s capital Bangui.

At least 30 people had been killed and over 100 more had been injured in three days of inter-communal clashes in Bangui.

On Monday evening, in a city secured by UN And French peacekeepers, hundreds of prisoners escaped from the main jail in the capital.

Earlier in the day, at least three people died when protesters gathered in downtown Bangui to march on the presidential palace.

Protesters blamed UN peacekeepers for shooting into the crowd, but the UN peacekeeping force, MINUSCA, denied that its troops opened fire on protesters.

The United States condemned the unrest in C.A.R. and pledged its support for Samba-Panza’s government.

“We fully support the efforts of the Central African and international forces to re-establish order and bring these perpetrators to justice,” US State Department spokesman, John Kirby said.

In a statement on Monday, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Alioune Tine said, “The deadly violence in the capital illustrates that C.A.R. remains in a very fragile state and that immediate action must be taken to enhance the capacity of UN peacekeepers to detect and respond effectively to such incidents before escalation of attacks on civilians”.

Amnesty said civilians have started to flee the fighting in Bangui and said the offices of at least three aid organizations in the city have been looted.

Central African Republic erupted in violence in 2013 when Muslim rebels seized Bangui, leading to often brutal attacks and reprisals between rival Christian and Muslim militias.

The country had been led by a transitional government since last year and elections are scheduled for October 18, but are widely expected to be postponed.