Sectarian strife in CAR kills 4, injures dozens

Sectarian clashes have claimed the lives of four people and left more than a dozen injured in the Central African Republic (CAR) city of Bambari.

“The town of Bambari has once again been the scene of serious and blind violence causing numerous casualties, including four dead, more than a dozen injured and houses burned down,” the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) said in a Thursday statement.

MINUSCA also expressed concern over “the inter-communal nature of this violence.”

The unrest broke out when Muslim residents launched reprisals against Christians after the body of a slain Muslim motorcycle taxi driver was found with his vehicle stolen.

CAR plunged into chaos and sectarian violence in 2012 after Seleka Muslim militias and anti-balaka Christian militias turned their guns on each other to dominate the crisis-stricken country’s politics and vast mineral resources.

Reports say more than 5,000 people have been killed in the Central African Republic since December 2013.

On December 5, France invaded its former colony after the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution giving the African Union and France the go-ahead to send troops to the country.

However, foreign troops have so far failed to contain the violence in the country.