Africa

300 killed in Central African Republic

338618_Central-African-Republic

300 killed in Central African Republic

Red Cross says at least 300 people have been killed in violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) since Thursday.

The international humanitarian organization said on Friday that it had collected the bodies of 281 people killed during two days of violence in the capital Bangui.

Red Cross President Pastor Antoine Mbao Bogo warned that the death toll could rise significantly on Saturday when staff would resume work.

“Tomorrow is going to be a monster of a day. We’re going to work tomorrow and I think we’re going to need a fourth day too,” Bogo said.

On Thursday, France said it would deploy troops to the CAR.

President Francois Hollande made the announcement shortly after the United Nations Security Council authorized intervention in the former French colony.

The 15-member council unanimously adopted a resolution giving the African Union and France the go-ahead to send troops to the African country. According to the resolution, up to 3,600 African and 1,200 French troops are authorized to contain the violence there.

Hollande promised that the 600 French troops in the CAR will be doubled “within a few days, even a few hours,” noting that the CAR was “calling us for help,” and he “decided to act immediately.”

CAR Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye, who was in Paris for a Franco-African summit, had urged France to act promptly.

“Given the urgency, my desire is that the intervention happens as soon as possible, immediately after the resolution,” Tiangaye said.

On November 21, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius described the CAR as a country “on the verge of genocide,” saying “France, CAR’s neighbors and the international community are worried” about the unrest in the country.

The African country slipped into chaos after a coalition of rebels, known as Seleka, launched an offensive against the CAR government in December 2012 and finally ousted then President Francois Bozizé in March. The rebels have been accused of killing, looting, and raping across the country.

On September 13, CAR President Michel Djotodia dissolved the Seleka rebel coalition, which had brought him to power. Some of the rebels later joined the country’s regular army while some defied.

A recent UN report blamed the Seleka rebels for much of the chaos in the country, saying “uncontrolled Seleka elements and unidentified armed groups” in the country committed “arbitrary arrests and detention, sexual violence against women and children, torture, rape, targeted killings, recruitment of child soldiers, and attacks.”

In July, the International Federation for Human Rights said at least 400 murders by Seleka-affiliated groups had been documented since March.

There are many mineral resources, including gold and diamond, in the Central African Republic. However, the country is extremely poor and has faced a series of rebellions and coups since it gained independence in 1960.

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