CAR militiamen give Muslims Ultimatum: leave or face death

Christian militiamen in the Central African Republic (CAR) have issued an ultimatum to Muslims taking refuge in a church, telling them to either leave the country or face death.

Nearly 800 Muslims are hiding in a Catholic Church in the southwestern town of Carnot. Some of them fled from the remote village of Guen after the militiamen massacred at least 70 people earlier this month.

The militiamen are now threatening to burn the church to the ground.

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

The Christian militiamen have been raging violence against Muslims, many of whom have escaped the country to avoid being killed by the militia.

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

France deployed 1,600 troops to the CAR in December 2013, after the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution giving Paris and the African Union the go-ahead to send troops to the strife-torn country.

Paris claims the aim of the mission is to create stability in the country in order to allow humanitarian aid to reach violence-hit areas.

However, the deployment of the French and African Union forces has done little to end the ongoing violence in the country.

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.