A recent Agence Press report said that more than 5,000 people have died in Central African Republic since the outbreak of sectarian violence between a muslim political group and a christian one, “suggesting that a U.N. peacekeeping mission approved months ago is coming too late for thousands.”
“The AP found at least 5,186 people were killed in fighting between Muslims and Christians, based on a count of bodies and numbers gathered from survivors, priests, imams and aid workers in more than 50 of the hardest-hit communities,” the report added.
The report went on further to say that the aforementioned number represents “more than double the death toll of at least 2,000 cited by the United Nations in April, when it approved the mission.”
An earlier Amnesty international report said that both Muslim and Christian political groups, namely the Muslim Séléka and the Christian Anti-balaka committed crimes against humanity with total impunity.
“War crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious human rights violations and abuses have been committed in CAR by members of the mainly Muslim Séléka forces and the mostly Christian Anti-balaka armed group with total impunity. Deliberate large-scale killings of civilians, enforced disappearances, recruitment of children, sexual violence, looting, destruction of villages and places of worship, as well as the forced displacement of populations have continued unabated. This report stresses the urgent need to put in place an effective mechanism to ensure accountability for the serious human rights violations and abuses that have been committed,” the Amnesty report read.
The Moroccan Times.
