SECTARIAN VIOLENCE: Muslims chased out of capital of Central African Republic
Thousands of Muslims fled the capital of Central African Republic on Friday, with Christian crowds cheering as the truckloads of Muslim families made their way out of town. In the midst of the commotion a man fell off one of the fleeing truck and he was subsequently killed with his body mutilated.
Angry mobs set fire on mosques, brutally kill and mutilate Muslims from time to time since the start of the sectarian violence two months ago. A Muslim cleric who was reported to have aided rebellious soldiers last year was attacked with knives, bricks and feet. Uniformed soldiers were seen parading his body through the streets of Bangui before it was dismembered and set ablaze.
Eyes witnesses say the entire Muslim neighbourhoods in Bangui are being destroyed and emptied. “Their buildings are being destroyed and being taken apart, brick by brick, roof by roof, to wipe out any sign of their once existence in this country.” the source said
Over 500 cars, trucks and motorcycles were seen been guarded by heavily armed soldiers from Chad, a neighboring predominantly Muslim country. The exodus comes after two months of sectarian violence in Central African Republic’s capital that has targeted Muslims accused of collaborating with the now-sidelined rebel government.
Some trucks broke down even before they could leave Bangui on Friday and had to be abandoned. The passengers jumped aboard other trucks, facing constant jeering, threats and stone throwing from the watching crowd.
“The Christians say the Muslims must go back where they came from, that’s why we are going home,” said Osmani Benui as she fled Bangui. “We had no possibility to stay on because we had no protection.”
They did have protection as they departed. Chadian special forces went along as well as Seleka rebels in cars in the convoy, armed with pistols and AK-47s.
Central African Republic is a predominantly Christian country, with a sizeable Muslim population in its north near that borders with Sudan and Chad. While some of those fleeing have ties with Chad, many of the Muslims who resided in Central African Republic’s capital had lived there for generations.
An alliance of Muslim rebel groups from the north united to overthrow the president of a decade last March, though their grievances were political and economic – not religious.
The rebels known as Seleka were aided by Chadian and Sudanese mercenaries, and quickly became bitterly despised by Christians in the capital after the fighters went on looting sprees, raping and killing civilians at random. An armed Christian movement known as the anti-Balaka, aided by loyalists of ousted President Francois Bozize, began retaliating several months later.
Christian fighters attempted to overthrow the Muslim rebel government in early December, sparking unprecedented bloodshed that left more than 1,000 people dead in a matter of days. An untold number have died in the weeks that followed, with most of the attacks in Bangui targeting Muslims.
The Muslim rebel leader who took power last March has stepped aside, and the country is currently being led by former Bangui mayor Catherine Samba-Panza as interim president.
