CAR youths form self-defense groups

Youths in the Central African Republic (CAR) have formed small volunteer groups to stop the brutalities of Christian militiamen against Muslims in the country.

The “self-defense groups” said they are prepared to warn residents on the outskirts of the capital city of Bangui of the arrival of looters and armed gangs.

The youths are unarmed and have taken up stations on the road in different districts.

“We have no weapons…. We organize ourselves into small groups of between five and 10 people. Hidden by the corners of houses or behind tree trunks, we survey all the ways in and out of the district. As soon as we see suspects, we cautiously advance to isolate them as much as we can,” said lookout member, Germain Kossi.

The emergence of youth groups follows a failed endeavor by foreign soldiers including French troops to ease tensions in the violence-ridden Central African Republic.

The CAR has been facing deadly unrest since December last year, when Christian militias launched coordinated attacks against the mostly Muslim Seleka group, which had toppled the government in March 2013.

Christian militias, however, have been targeting the Muslim population as a whole.

Last month, the violence in the African country reportedly claimed over 1,000 lives and forced about one million people to flee their homes.