Christian and Muslims battle in Central African Republic, France poised to send troops

[mota bhai 2,675]

(Reuters) - Rival militia forces clashed in Central African Republic's capital on Thursday hours before the U.N. was expected to authorize a French mission to halt Muslim-Christian sectarian violence that threatens to escalate into widespread massacres.

Former rebels now in charge of the country said Bangui had come under attack from local militia and fighters loyal to ousted president Francois Bozize.

...

The U.N. Security Council is due to vote later on Thursday on dispatching hundreds of French reinforcements to restore order in the country, which has slipped into chaos since mainly Muslim rebels seized power in March, leading to #######-for-tat sectarian violence.

...

Michel Djotodia, leader of the Seleka former rebel alliance, is now the country's interim president but he has struggled to control his loose band of fighters, many of whom are gunmen from neighboring Chad and Sudan.

Mainly Christian local defense groups, known as "anti-balaka", have sprung up in response to abuses committed in Bangui and up-country by the former rebels.

Djotodia accused Bozize loyalists of mounting the attack and ordered an overnight curfew. General Arda Hakouma, his head of security, said "anti-balaka" forces were also involved.

...

The clashes appeared to have started around the Boy Rabe neighborhood, a stronghold of Bozize that has been repeatedly raided by Seleka forces amid reports arms had been distributed to civilians before the former president fell.

There were reports of arms being handed out to civilians in the mainly Muslim PK5 neighborhood.

...

Having previously intervened in CAR's conflicts, Paris initially sought to avoid this one. But the scale of the violence since the rebels swept south has forced France's hand.

"When Seleka entered, there were dead Christians. This time it could be worse ... We need the French. The French have to come quickly," Wilfred Koyamba, a Bangui resident told Reuters.

Another resident said he saw a group of about 40 heavily armed "anti-balaka" fighters in the Ngaragba neighborhood break open the prison doors there. One of the fighters told the resident: "Stay at home. Show us the houses of the Muslims."

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France's Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he expected the resolution to be adopted unanimously later on Thursday and French troop numbers would reach 1,200 "relatively quickly".

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/05/us-centralafrican-fighting-idUSBRE9B405F20131205

Edited December 5, 2013 by mota bhai

[GandD 5,966]

Yeah I heard about this on NPR while driving to work in my Volvo. (All true)

They said the UN had clearance to restore order at any cost or something. Maybe they'll actually be able to have loaded weapons while they sit there and watch people get killed. Ahhhh the UN, peacekeepers. So pathetic, you'd actually rather have the French.

[mota bhai 2,675]

The French seem to be pretty good at this Africa thing.

[GandD 5,966]

Actually, they do.