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French peacekeeping troops in Central African Republic used helicopter gunships and mortars on Saturday to fight Muslim rebels at a bridge in the town of Bambari, northeast of the capital Bangui, a Reuters witness said.
The clash is the latest between fighters from the mostly Muslim rebel Seleka coalition and peacekeepers, and could deepen antagonism in the north of the country towards French forces.
At least five people were injured, four of them Seleka fighters who have been resisting attempts to disarm them by French forces deployed in their former colony as part of the Sangaris peacekeeping operation.
The soldiers used stun grenades to try to disperse civilians wielding machetes who blocked the bridge, but then came under fire from automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades. They brought in at least two helicopter gunships and fired mortars.
"We were confronted by individuals who fired at the Sangaris forces and we immediately responded," said Colonel Gilles Jaron, spokesman for the French army.
French troops battle Muslim rebels in Central African Republic town | Reuters
Not really. As a Frenchman it is more likely to be killed by a Muslim extremist in France than in Africa.If the French troops weren't in the country.
They wouldn't be attacked. ..
The former French colony has been engulfed in turmoil since the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel coalition seized power in the majority Christian country in March 2013. The rebels later withdrew from the capital Bangui, but their abuses prompted a backlash by Christian militias, known as 'anti-balaka'. Prime Minister Mahamat Kamoun has struggled in his efforts to bring Seleka and Christian militia representatives into a power-sharing government and stop a cycle of deadly inter-religious clashes that has killed thousands. "Faced with the chaotic situation in CAR...the coalition decides...to ask for the departure of Catherine Samba Panza and her prime minister," Edouard Patrice Ngaissona, who heads the anti-balaka coalition, said in a statement on Monday.
In the document, he blamed Interim President Samba Panza for failing to take action to release a number of anti-balaka members arrested in Bangui and accused her of embezzling financial aid from neighboring countries. He also claimed she was seeking the return of soldiers from neighboring Chad, which withdrew from an African peacekeeping force in April following allegations of human rights violations and close ties with Seleka. Samba Panza did not immediately react to the statement but government spokesman Modibo Walidiou Bachir rejected the accusations of corruption during an interview on local radio.
The violence in Central African Republic has forced about one million people to flee their homes. Most Muslims now live in Seleka-controlled areas in the north and east of the country, creating a de facto partition. Elections meant to complete a return to democracy are due to be held in February. But amid continuing violence, officials in the country - which is rich in diamonds, uranium and gold - believe the polls will be delayed.
In a separate statement also released on Monday, the anti-balaka movement said it was giving its two government ministers 72 hours to resign from the cabinet or "be considered enemies of the people and treated as such". The anti-balaka coalition occupies the posts of tourism, arts and culture minister and deputy finance and budget minister. Seleka, which has rejected Kamoun's government, expelled several of its members in August after they refused to obey an order to resign from their cabinet positions.
Central African Republic militias call for president PM to step down Reuters
The violence follows days of fighting that threatens the interim government of President Catherine Samba-Panza, who took office in January aiming to end two years of unrest in which thousands have died and more than 1 million have fled. Samba-Panza said she would not step down in the face of heightened political pressure and there were signs late on Saturday that tensions could be easing as one militia group withdrew its call for her resignation. "I will not resign. I must lead this country until the end of my mission," Samba-Panza told state radio.
The unrest is a struggle for power and resources in an impoverished country with reserves of gold and diamonds. Rival communities have also clashed across religious lines. Those killed overnight include a gendarme and a local leader for a militia known as "anti-balaka", whose adherents follow Christianity and animism. The peacekeepers were attacked in a neighborhood near the Bangui airport and two were seriously hurt, Myriam Dessables, a spokeswoman for the country's UN mission MINUSCA, told Reuters.
The United Nations took over peacekeeping in mid-September from a mission run by the African Union. The country was plunged into chaos as mostly Muslim rebels from a coalition called the "Seleka" seized power in March 2013. Its rule was marked by abuses that prompted a backlash from the "anti-balaka". France sent troops to its former colony and an existing African peacekeeping force was beefed up.
Sporadic violence has continued despite the Seleka leader's resignation from the presidency in January. A Reuters witness said there was little gunfire in the capital on Saturday after days of violence rated the worst in months. Dessables said some airline companies had canceled flights to Bangui for security reasons.
"ARRESTED IN ERROR"
A transitional government has steered the nation toward elections that have been delayed several times. The National Election Authority proposed the most recent delay, from Dec. 27 to Dec. 30, to deal with technical and organizational difficulties. "This time, everything will be fine throughout Central African Republic," said Julius Rufin Ngoadebaba, spokesman for the National Electoral Authority. He shot down allegations that illegal voter cards had been distributed. Central African Republic citizens voted yes to a constitutional referendum on Dec. 13, a vote seen as test for national elections. Violence killed five in a neighborhood in the capital, Bangui, and unrest and violence elsewhere around the country saw delayed votes and results. "The constitutional referendum vote allowed the electoral and country's authorities to unseal the difficulties that needed to urgently be addressed," said Minister of Territorial Administration Modibo Bachir Walidou. "Now we can say that elections on Dec. 30 will take place knowing exactly what needs to be done, by whom and how."
Voters are caught between hope and doubt for Wednesday's polls. "We are ready and determined to go ahead with the vote of Dec. 30, because it is time our country comes out of this long crisis, recovers its institutions and that Central Africans find reconciliation and live together," said Mireille Djapou, a 26-year-old student. The vote comes nearly a month after Pope Francis visited Central African Republic and called for peace and reconciliation between Christians and Muslims. U.N. peacekeepers will be deployed to sensitive areas and 1,800 police and gendarmes will control other areas, officials said. Some 300 armed forces from the country will look after polling stations in the capital.
More than 1.8 million people are expected to vote at more than 500 polling stations. There are 30 candidates running for president and many others running for the legislature. The campaigns ended Monday night. Former prime ministers Martin Ziguele and Anicet Georges Dologuele are among the favored candidates. Central African Republic has been rocked by unrest since March 2013 when a largely Muslim alliance of rebel groups known as the Seleka overthrew President Francois Bozize. When the rebel leader left power in 2014, a swift, horrific backlash by the Christian anti-Balaka militia against Muslim civilians followed. Sectarian violence has continued ever since, displacing nearly 1 million people.
Refugees in Cameroon, in the town of Garoua Boulai near the border with Central African Republic, are excited about the vote. Nearly 12,000 are registered to vote in a camp of about 25,000, officials there said. Arnold Sami said that the people of Central African Republic have seen too much pain and suffering: "I am truly proud that they've decided to organize these elections, and after the elections I only want peace."
News from The Associated Press
Some 20 candidates made the demand at a news conference, after nearly 40 percent of the country's vote had been counted. About 16 candidates signed a declaration, saying the move will prevent unrest.
Nearly 2 million Central African Republic citizens were registered to vote Dec. 30 in much-delayed national elections meant to replace a transitional government and bring stability after years of sectarian violence. Some irregularities in voting were cited. "The nature of manipulations fundamentally calls to question the sincerity, transparency and credibility of the elections," said Theodore Kapou, an independent candidate and spokesman for the contesting candidates. "These serious shortcomings that have marred the electoral process will lead to the population's rejection of the results, inevitably causing new conflagration in the country."
People stand in line outside a polling station to cast their ballots during elections in Bangui, Central African Republic, Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015. Thousands in Central African Republic's capital voted Wednesday in national elections with hope that a new president will lead to greater stability after years of violence.
Central African Republic has been rocked by violence since March 2013 when a largely Muslim alliance of rebel groups overthrew the president. The rebel leader left power in 2014 and a horrific backlash by the Christian anti-Balaka militia against Muslim civilians followed. The National Electoral Authority said all candidates signed an agreement to respect the electoral code of conduct, which also states that any appeal must be brought by lawful means. Candidates can contest final results before the constitutional court finalizes them.
By Monday, partial results showed Faustin Archange Touadera, prime minister until 2013, leading with about 147,000 votes, followed by another former prime minister, Anicet Georges Dologuele, with nearly 110,000 votes. Independent candidate Jean Serge Bokassa was third with nearly 69,000. Fourth-placed Desire Nzanga Bilal Kolingba, signed the declaration. The son of a former president, on Thursday he cited voting irregularities and warned against the theft of what he said was his "certain victory."
News from The Associated Press
Armed groups in Central African Republic (CAR) are using rape and sexual slavery as weapons of war in an abuse that may amount to crimes against humanity, a rights group said yesterday. Thousands have died and a fifth of Central Africans have been uprooted in a conflict that broke out after the mainly Muslim Seleka rebels ousted former Central African Republic president Francois Bozize in early 2013, provoking a backlash from Christian anti-balaka militias. Both the Seleka and the anti-balaka have sexually assaulted, raped and enslaved civilians as revenge against those believed to be supporting the other side, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.
Yet not a single militant on either side of the conflict has been arrested or tried for sexual violence, HRW said. “Armed groups are using rape in a brutal, calculated way to punish and terrorize women and girls,” HRW researcher Hillary Margolis said following the release of a report documenting 305 cases of rape and sexual slavery against women and girls. “Under international law, these offences ... may be considered crimes against humanity and war crimes,” HRW said. Victims told HRW how militants often raped them in front of their children, and abused, attacked and killed their relatives.
Many women and girls were whipped, tied up and burned, and gang raped repeatedly while being held as sex slaves, HRW said. “Every day we could not rest — every day there was rape, by different fighters,” 30-year-old Jeanne, who was held captive by Seleka fighters for six months in 2014, told the rights group. Stigma, impunity for attackers and a dysfunctional justice system have prevented many victims from speaking out, HRW said. Only 11 of the 296 survivors interviewed by HRW said they had tried to seek justice, with some victims blamed for their ordeal and others told to present their attackers for arrest.
Most victims said they had not received post-rape medical or mental healthcare — such as drugs to prevent HIV and unwanted pregnancy — due to a lack of health facilities, the cost of services or transport, and misconceptions about their options. “Every day, survivors live with the devastating aftermath of rape, and the knowledge that their attackers are walking free, perhaps holding positions of power, and to date facing no consequences whatsoever,” Margolis said in a statement.
Widespread killings and rapes of civilians by militants in Central African Republic — where militia violence has risen this year — have also been documented by the UN and other rights groups, such as Amnesty International. The UN is helping the government to establish a Special Criminal Court, agreed to in 2015, to try the worst crimes committed in the landlocked nation.
Widespread rape, sexual slavery in CAR feud: HRW - Taipei Times
