Tag Archives: Bangui

Bangui imam claims French killed 3 Muslims

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Bangui imam claims French killed 3 MuslimsBANGUI

An imam in a predominantly Muslim neighborhood of Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), claimed on Sunday that French troops had killed three Muslims.

Isa Hassan, the imam of Masjid Al Noor in Kilometer 5, claimed French soldiers had shot all three men through the head.

He said the men were all shot Sunday close to Kilometer 5, a predominantly Muslim neighborhood of the capital Bangui.

The chairman of the committee supervising the mosque, Yahiya Abu Bakr, repeated the same accusation.

“The French did this, everyone knows,” he told AA.

“I have covered the heads with plastic bags as they were all shot in the head,” he said. “The bags are holding the heads together.”

People standing around the local mosque repeated his version of events, although the French were not immediately available for comment.

AA asked the crowd if anyone had seen the French actually shoot the men, everyone suggested that they had seen it.

AA reporter saw four bodies inside the mosque, including one in military fatigues.

At least two of the bodies had their heads wrapped with plastic bags.

The fourth body was reportedly of a local imam allegedly killed by the self-styled Christian militia known as anti-balaka.

The French military press officer in Bangui has not responded to our repeated calls and text message until the filing of this report.

CAR, a mineral-rich landlocked country, descended into anarchy in March, when Seleka rebels – said to be mostly Muslims – ousted Christian President François Bozize, who had assumed power in a 2003 coup.

France has deployed nearly 1,600 troops under a UN mandate to restore security in its former colony.

-French problem-

There were roadblocks throughout Muslim areas of Bangui today.

Protestors held up placards and chanted, “Hollande is a criminal,” in referring to French President François Hollande.

Demonstrators used rocks, metal barrels and pieces of wood to block the road.

Earlier in the day, French and Congolese peacekeepers violently broke up an anti-French protest carried out by Muslims in Bangui.

The French and Congolese soldiers fired volleys of teargas and nitrogen grenades to disperse protesters in the Galabadia neighborhood, close to the president’s private residence.

The protestors burnt tires and blocked the roads whilst carrying anti-French placards.

“French crimes against the Central African Republic,” one placard read.

Muslims in the capital have been frustrated and angry at the French intervention which they claim is against the Muslim population.

“The problems started as soon as the French stepped foot in this country,” imam Hassan told AA.

“Normal Muslims have never attacked anyone and even now we hold back, but the French are disarming Muslims and allowing them to be killed by mobs,” he said.

Representatives of Muslims today gave French troops in the country a week ultimatum to end what they described as French support to the anti-balaka.

They threatened a Muslim rebellion against the French and a partition of the country into a Muslim north and a Christian south.

Read the original article published in Anadolu Agency on 22 December 2013

Chadians flee CAR violence

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Dozens of Chadian citizens trickle to a military base for African peacekeepers near Bangui airport in the hope of catching a military plane out of the war-ravaged CAR

Chadians flee CAR violence

BANGUI

Dozens of Chadian citizens, including women and children, continue to trickle to a military base for African peacekeepers near Bangui airport in the hope of catching a military plane out of the war-ravagedCentral African Republic (CAR).

“It’s not safe for us here anymore,” Maguirgue Homore, a Canadian national, told Anadolu Agency inside the base.

“I saw four people die,” said Homore, who had come to study political science at Bangui University.

After three years his education is in doubt as he now has to leave the country.

CAR, a mineral-rich landlocked country, descended into anarchy in March, when ex-Seleka rebels – thought to be largely Muslims – ousted Christian president François Bozize, who had come to power in a 2003 coup.

According to UN estimates, more than 400,000 people – nearly ten percent of the country’s 4.6 million-strong population – have abandoned their homes as a result of the violence.

Cars continued to arrive at the military base, with Chadian citizens being forced to stay in a plane hangar.

Women and children were amongst those arriving in over packed cars.

Children clutched their younger siblings, whilst others helped carry the family luggage.

Chadian troops, who form part of the African Union peacekeeping force, MISCA, were there assisting their compatriots.

A military plane and a helicopter landed kicking up the dust.  But it was not for the civilians. It was for military use only.

-Unsafe-

Abdullah, another Chadian, had been in the base for a day.

“There is no peace or security here for us,” he told AA as he carried his suitcase and stood in the shade of the hangar.

“No one is really helping us since the situation started,” he lamented looking at compatriots standing out in the sun.

“It has got worse and worse. I just want to go back home to my country,” asserted Abdullah.

Abdullah, like most of the Chadians we interviewed, lived in Kilometer 5, a predominantly Muslim neighborhood of Bangui.

At least 29 Muslims were killed when the Christian militia anti-balaka attacked the neighborhood on Friday.

It seemed that Friday’s attack was the straw that broke the camel’s back for many Chadians.

There were around 300 of them at the military base, though none of the Chadian peacekeeper could give us a definite figure.

The conditions at the makeshift camp were difficult.

As we stood, one man approached and asked me for some water for his children.

Suddenly, all eyes turn to the tarmac.

A private jet was landing carrying, we were told, the head of the Chadian military.

The Chadians looked on wondering when their plane would take them home.

Maguirgue, the political science, sat down on the floor with his arms folded.

“Peace and security, that’s all we asked for,” he fumed.

“No one cares about us. I’m not going back to Kilometer 5.  We can’t.”

Read the original article published in Anadolu Agency on 22 December 2013

29 killed in Bangui violence since Thursday: Red Cross

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At least twenty-nine Muslims were killed since Thursday

29 killed in Bangui violence since Thursday: Red Cross

BANGUI

At least 29 people have been killed in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic(CAR), in the last 24 hours, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The violence started Thursday night when Africa Union peacekeepers came under attack from the self-styled Christian militia known as anti-balaka.

On Friday, anti-balaka militants attacked a predominantly Muslim neighborhood of Bangui.

An ICRC official, who did not wish to be named, told Anadolu Agency late Friday that the total number of dead was 29 “at the last count.”

He did not give a breakdown of the fatalities.

An AA had counted the bodies of twelve Muslims killed in the anti-balaka attack on the predominantly Muslim neighborhood of Kilometer 5 earlier in the day.

The slain people had wounds caused by machetes in the nick, face and other parts of their bodies.

Local residents told AA the attack occurred at 6:30am and accused the French peacekeepers of failing to protect them.

Kilometer 5 is the strongest standing Muslim suburb in Bangui and its where most Muslims who were displaced from Christian neighborhoods have sought asylum.

On Thursday evening eight African Union peacekeepers were wound in an attack by the anti-balaka militias.

“When we were driving to go back to our barracks, the anti-balaka militants threw a grenade behind our van injuring 8 of our soldiers,” Col. Gebril Omar told AA yesterday.

He said two of the injured soldiers need to be operated on.

One of the soldiers, a Chadian, has reportedly succumbed to his wounds.

CAR, a landlocked, mineral-rich country, descended into anarchy in March, when Seleka rebels – said to be mostly Muslims – ousted Christian president François Bozize, who had come to power in a 2003 coup.

The months since have seen the emergence of self-styled Christian militias, known as the “anti-balaka.”

According to UN estimates, more than 400,000 people – nearly ten percent of the country’s 4.6 million-strong population – have abandoned their homes as a result of the violence.

Read the original article published in Anadolu Agency on 20 December 2013

Bangui Muslims skeptical about French disarming

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The French peacekeeping troops in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, insisted that they are disarming all armed rebels, a contention questioned by many Muslims.

Bangui Muslims skeptical about French disarming

BANGUI

The French peacekeeping troops in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, insisted on Tuesday that they are disarming all armed rebels, a contention questioned by many Muslims.

“The first objective is to identify any party bearing arms and then to proceed to their disarmament,” General Francisco Soriano, the commander of the French contingent, told reporters at the French military base near Bangui airport.

“We know that arms have been spread across the country but we are carrying out some operations to cover those areas,” he added.

France has some 1,600 peacekeepers deployed in the country under a UN mandate to restore security and protect civilians.

They set up check points on the main road of the capital city earlier on Tuesday.

The troops would stop and search local vehicles and disarm people carrying weapons at the time, not those hiding weapons in their homes.

The majority of the checkpoints, however, were only out for a few hours before the peacekeepers headed back to their base.

It seemed more like a show of force than an actual disarmament exercise.

CAR, a mineral-rich landlocked country, descended into anarchy in March, when Seleka rebels, who are mostly Muslims, ousted Christian President François Bozize, who had assumed power in a 2003 coup.

According to UN estimates, more than 400,000 people – nearly ten percent of the country’s 4.6 million-strong population – have abandoned their homes as a result of the violence.

Hundreds have been killed in tit-for-tat sectarian violence between seleka fighters and self-styled anti-balaka Christian militias Bangui alone in recent days.

-Blinded-

In Kilometer 5, a Muslim-majority neighborhood of the capital, the locals accused the French and African troops of aiding the Christian militias.

“They are only disarming Muslims. The anti-Balaka still have their weapons,” claimed Hassan Haroon.

“We want peace, but look what the Christians have done,” he fumed.

“They destroyed some of our mosques, desecrated the Quran, killed pregnant women, and murdered children.  Some of them were chopped to bits,” Haroon told AA.

Yahya Abu Bakr, another local Muslim, agrees.

“The French are only disarming the Muslims,” he insisted. “How about they disarm the anti-Balaka?”

Some Muslims went as far as accusing the French troops of turning a blind eye to the killing of their fellow religionists.

“We are scared in our own country,” lamented Hassan Bashir, insisting that the French do not care about Muslims.

“If someone kills a Muslims, loots our property, or destroys a mosque, it doesn’t bother the French troops, they are not here for us,” he claimed.

Back at the French military base, General Soriano said he was aware of “misconceptions” about his troops.

“Our operation is not partial,” he maintained. “We take into consideration both parties.”

Read the original article published in Anadolu Agency on 17 December 2013