CAR Christians stage pro-France protest, 1 killed

Scores of Christians staged a pro-France protest near the airport in Bangui, capital of the troubled Central African Republic.

CAR Christians stage pro-France protest, 1 killed

BANGUI

Scores of Christians on Monday staged a pro-France protest near the airport in Bangui, capital of the troubled Central African Republic (CAR).

One person was killed when the demonstration was fired upon.

Shots were fired when Chadian soldiers, part of an African peacekeeping force, drove past in two pick-up trucks.

According to an Anadolu Agency reporter at the scene, the shots had emanated from the Chadian vehicles as they had rounded a corner.

It was not clear whether just one soldier – or a number of soldiers – had opened fire, according to the reporter.

When contacted by AA, a general of the Chadian peacekeeping force declined to comment on the incident and hung up the phone.

The shooting left one man lying on the floor bleeding as French troops that were present tried to help him.

He was carried away but died shortly afterward.

The shooting occurred near a French military checkpoint located close to the airport.

Following the incident, panic ensued, with people running in different directions.

Taken by surprise, the French forces urged protesters to remain calm.

The crowd was seized by hysteria, however, with French troops struggling to keep protesters back.

French troops fired into the air to try and keep the protestors back.

Additional French troops were eventually brought in to secure the area.

Some of the protesters had carried placards bearing anti-Chad slogans.

“We Central Africans say: ‘yes’ to disarmament, ‘yes’ to the Sangari operation, ‘no’ to the Chadian military,” one of them read.

Protesters also demanded the resignation of the country’s incumbent Muslim president.

The protest came one day after CAR Muslim staged mass demonstrations in the capital against French intervention, accusing French troops of anti-Muslim bias.

On Sunday, Muslim representatives gave French troops in the country a one-week ultimatum to end what they described as French support for the self-styled anti-balaka Christian militias.

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

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 in the country under a UN mandate to restore security in its former colony.

– CAR minister accuses France of ‘arming’ Christian militia

A government minister in the troubled Central African Republic (CAR) has accused France, the country’s former colonizer, of arming Christian militias accused of perpetrating atrocities against local Muslim communities.

“The French are now siding with the anti-balaka,” General Mahamat Nouradine Adam, minister of state for security, told Anadolu Agency in an exclusive interview.

“They’re providing them with arms, food, medicine and uniforms,” he charged. “They now have new guns.”

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.

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

In a Thursday report, Human Rights Watch (HRW) described the anti-balaka as “local vigilantes and soldiers loyal to the previous government.”

In its report, HRW asserted that the Christian militia had perpetrated a number of recent “atrocities” against local Muslim communities, including the murder of several hundred Muslims and the burning of their homes and mosques.

On Sunday, representatives of CAR’s Muslim community gave French troops a one-week deadline by which to end what they described as “French support” for the anti-balaka.

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

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

“Before the French brought their troops into the country, we had relative stability,” the minister said.

“Everything was going to be okay, but they intervened.”

“The French were supposed to be a neutral peacekeeping force, but now they’re one-sided,” Adam argued.

A spokesman for the French peacekeeping contingent was not immediately available to comment on the accusations.

-Bias-

General Adam accused western media, especially French, of portraying his government in a negative light.

“We found weapons inside a church on Friday. The anti-balaka have been hiding weapons inside the church,” he said, suggesting that western media ignored the news.

“We just took the weapons and left the people we found in possession of the weapons,” the minister said, adding that he had been accompanied by African peacekeepers when the weapons were found.

“This shows that some of the meetings to attack Muslims are planned inside the church,” the minister suggested.

But Bangui Archbishop Mgr. Dieudonne Nzapalainga, for his part, denied that any weapons had been found inside the church.

He told AA that the weapons had been kept outside a church near which some anti-balaka fighters had been hiding.

Adam noted that some French media outlets had reported on Friday that ex-Seleka fighters in the predominantly Muslim Kilometer 5 neighborhood were exchanging fire with anti-balaka fighters.

“The reality was that the anti-balaka had attacked a defenseless Muslim population in the area,” said the minister. “Journalists must tell the truth and not side with groups.”

According to the Red Cross, at least 29 Muslims were killed in Friday’s anti-balaka attack on the Muslim neighborhood.

-No seleka-

The security minister, who had been deputy leader of the disbanded seleka coalition, claimed that no seleka fighters were currently on the streets.

“We disbanded Seleka in September,” he told AA. “All those who joined the national army are currently in camps.”

When asked if some ex-seleka vehicles and troops were still patrolling certain areas, the minister denied reports to this effect.

“We agreed with the peacekeepers to take our soldiers off the streets because they were being accused… of committing crimes,” he recalled.

The minister asserted that ex-seleka soldiers were not even allowed to leave their barracks to visit their families.

“There are currently no ex-Seleka fighters on the streets of Bangui; they’re all living in the barracks,” he reiterated.

“So whoever commits a crime in the name of being an ex-seleka is not one of our soldiers.”

General Adam said their political rival should wait until elections.

“We went into the bush to fight the former regime because our communities were oppressed and marginalized and the country was being mismanaged,” the former seleka leader said.

“Our enemies have not given us an opportunity to showcase how we can effectively run the country,” he charged.

“There have been many coups in CAR, but they have opposed our coup because the president and some of us are Muslims,” the minister said.

“Those opposed to our government should be patient until elections are held in 18 months,” he added. “But for now, we’re in charge.”

Read the original article published in Anadolu Agency on 23 December 2013

Bangui imam claims French killed 3 Muslims

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

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

AA enters hot-spot CAR

AA London correspondent Assed Baig and Johannesburg correspondent Hasa Isilow began to wire latest news and imageries from CAR after an uphill journey.

AA enters hot-spot CAR

ISTANBUL

Anadolu Agency (AA) crew managed to enter troubled Central African Republic (CAR), amid deadly clashes creating humanitarian crisis, on Monday.

AA London correspondent Assed Baig and Johannesburg correspondent Hasa Isilow began to wire latest news and imageries from CAR after an uphill journey.

Arriving at the country where rival groups fight, Baig said that it was a very difficult ride to CAR. Flying from London to Paris to get his visa, Baig arrived in Cameroon through Ethiopia. He finally landed in the CAR’s capital city Bangui on a humantarian aid plane, to where all commercial flights are canceled.

On the other side, Hassan Isilow from South Africa landed in Bangui on a humanitarian aid plane which also took off from Cameroon.

– AA’s signature on world’s media

Anadolu Agency, whose progress is followed by domestic and foreign media with care, has started to place the “Anadolu Agency” signature in the memory of the world media by means of the cooperation with “AFP image forum” and “Getty images” which are among the largest news and video distribution networks.

AA photographs which are distributed via Getty Images, AFP-Image Forum and Scanpix are used with “Anadolu Agency” signature at weekly magazines, dailies and websites of the US, Canada, South Africa, England and Europe.

Concordantly, AA photojournalists immediately send their photographs taken at torrid points of the four corners in the earth. Latest developments which took place in Ukraine, Thailand, South Africa and the Philippines reach to every corners of the earth by means of AA photojournalists.

In this scope, AA’s correspondents, photojournalists and cameramen working at offices of Paris, Rome, Moscow, Frankfurt, Berlin, New York, Cairo, Beirut, Jerusalem and Islamabad are providing the daily flow of news, photographs and videos without delay.

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

29 killed in Bangui violence since Thursday: Red Cross

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

HRW documents ‘atrocities’ against CAR’s Muslims

HRW documents 'atrocities' against CAR's MuslimsBANGUI

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday accused Christian militias of perpetrating a number of recent “atrocities” against Muslim communities in the northern Central African Republic (CAR).

“They began to cut my husband with their machetes on his side and his back,” one Muslim woman told HRW, describing a dawn attack by anti-balaka militants on their home. “Then they cut his throat.”

“After they killed him, they set our house on fire,” she added. “They threw his body on the fire, together with that of my son.”

“They ordered my 13-year-old son to come outside and lie down,” the Muslim woman recounted. “Then they cut him two times with a machete and killed him.”

HRW’s 34-page report, based on weeks of field research in CAR’s northern Ouham province, cites a surge in violence since September by Christian anti-balaka militias.

“The anti-balaka have killed several hundred Muslims, burned their homes and stolen their cattle,” concluded the report, entitled: “‘They Came To Kill’: Escalating Atrocities in the Central African Republic.”

The rights watchdog reported that a Muslim cattle herder had been forced to watch as anti-balaka fighters cut the throats of her three-year-old son, two boys aged 10 and 14, and an adult relative.

Another man told HRW how he had escaped from anti-balaka attackers only to watch in horror from a hiding place as they proceeded to cut the throats of his two wives, ten children and one grandchild.

HRW accused the Christian militias of carrying out “coordinated attacks against Muslim communities” in Bossangoa, the capital of Ouham.

It noted that on December 5 anti-balaka forces had “shot or slit the throats of at least 11 Muslim civilians” in Boro, a district of Bossangoa.

In recent days, Anadolu Agency has published testimonies of several victims of attacks by anti-balaka militiamen.

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

-Reprisal-

HRW described the anti-balaka militias as “local vigilantes and soldiers loyal to the previous government.”

It refuted claims that the militias were local “self-defense” forces, asserting that “their actions and rhetoric are often violently anti-Muslim.”

According to HRW, attacks by Christian militias against Muslim communities “were largely in response to rampant abuses by Muslim armed groups.”

After the anti-balaka attacks, the report noted, ex-Seleka forces had taken revenge on a number of Christian residents of Bossangoa, killing many and torching their homes.

“The ex-Seleka revenge killings appear to have had the backing of senior commanders in Bossangoa,” HRW asserted.

It accused Bossangoa deputy commander, Colonel Saleh Zabadi, of ordering the drowning of seven farmers on November 18 on suspicions that they belonged to an anti-balaka militia.

“The farmers were bound and thrown into the Ouham River; just three survived,” said the report.

The report went on to say that 40,000 Christians had been displaced in Bossangoa and were currently seeking refuge in Catholic churches, while 4,000 Muslims remained on the other side of the town.

“The brutal killings in CAR are creating a cycle of murder and reprisal that threatens to spin out of control,” said Peter Bouckaert, HRW emergencies director and the report’s author.

“The potential for further mass violence is shockingly high,” he warned.

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.

-Bolster Peacekeeping-

Citing continued abuses in the north and in Bangui, the HRW called for additional African Union troops and stepped-up support for French peacekeeping efforts.

“Urgent support for peacekeeping in CAR is crucial to bring stability to a tense situation, protect the population from abuses, and ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those at grave risk,” Bouckaert asserted.

HRW has called on the UN Security Council to immediately authorize a peacekeeping mission to CAR under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.

“The UN Security Council needs to act quickly to bring this evolving catastrophe to a halt,” said Bouckaert.

France, under a UN mandate, currently has 1,600 troops deployed in its former colony.

The African Union, meanwhile, has 2,500 troops stationed in the country.

Read the original article published in Anadolu Agency on 19 December 2013

CAR’s Muslim minority decries anti-balaka ‘atrocities’

AA investigates attacks against Muslims carried out by the Christian militia known as the “anti-balaka,” meaning “anti-machete.”

CAR's Muslim minority decries anti-balaka 'atrocities'

BANGUI

Since the outbreak of the conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR), reports have focused on the Muslim rebel seleka group and the atrocities it has been accused of perpetrating against civilians.

But little, if anything, has been reported about attacks against Muslims carried out by the Christian militia known as the “anti-balaka,” meaning “anti-machete.”

In Kilometer 5, a bustling Muslim neighborhood in the capital Bangui, 48-year-old Bashir sat on a plastic rug at the back of some shops off the main road.

He used to live in Fouh, a predominately Christian area of the capital that also had a Muslim minority.

“When the trouble started, the anti-balaka attacked the Muslims in the area,” Bashir, wearing a traditional white dara (a long open cloak) and a white hat, told Anadolu Agency.

“The local mosque was destroyed, just like my home,” he lamented.

Bashir claimed to have witnessed the murder of four people, including his younger brother, before he managed to escape.

“The machete hit him on the side of the neck,” he recalled tearfully.

“There were so many people – not just anti-balaka, but Christians from around the area.”

Hundreds have been confirmed killed in recent days in Bangui alone – victims of tit-for-tat sectarian violence between seleka and anti-balaka militias.

CAR, a mineral-rich landlocked country, descended into anarchy in March, when Seleka rebels 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.

-Mutilated-

Yahiya Abu Bakr, chairman of a committee that oversees the local mosque, said at least 108 Muslims from the area had been killed in recent violence.

“Women, children, even pregnant women were slaughtered by the anti-Balaka,” he claimed.

“The anti-balaka cut off people’s limbs,” Abu Bakr told AA. “I also saw bodies that had their genitals removed,” he said.

“We perform the funeral prayers here, so I know about the injuries sustained by those that were killed,” insisted Abu Bakr.

The most recent funeral was on Saturday.

AA reporter was shown mobile-phone footage allegedly filmed at the scene of anti-Balaka attacks perpetrated last week.

The gruesome video shows several people lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Some appeared to have been horrifically mutilated as they breathed their last.

People standing around the dying Muslims were shouting “la ila ha illallah” – “There is no God but Allah” – apparently encouraging the dying men to pronounce the Muslim declaration of faith before they expired.

At one point, the video shows a man who is still alive being picked up and laid onto a stretcher, pieces of his mutilated body hanging off.

There was no way of independently verifying the video, its content or where or when it had been filmed.

“We want peace,” asserted Abu Bakr, the mosque chairman.

“We are ready to call for it, but the anti-balaka are the ones that are doing the provocations by killing Muslims and destroying mosques,” he said.

Not far from the mosque, a number of internally displaced Muslims took shelter.

“They killed four of my children: two sons and two daughters,” Salma, who declined to give her second name, told AA.

The slain children, she said, were aged ten, eight, six and two.

The mother – visibly traumatized – made very little eye contact as she braided her young daughter’s hair.

She stopped a few times with a blank and distant look in her eyes.

“My father and mother were also killed in the attack,” added Salma.

As a French military convoy made its way through the Muslim neighborhood, Umar Didi watched it scornfully.

“They are the troublemakers!” he shouted.

“People were killed in front of French soldiers who did nothing,” he claimed.

Umar Hussain, a Muslim businessman, suggested to have witnessed such an incident.

“During the troubles, some people decided to carry knives with them for their own protection because there was a lot of looting and the anti-balaka had gone on a killing spree,” he told AA.

“The French disarmed some people in front of the Christian mobs, and then just left them at the mob’s mercy,” Hussain claimed.

“The mob murdered them in the most brutal way, while the French stood by and did nothing. How is this peacekeeping?” he asked.

A spokesman for the French troops deployed in the country was not immediately available to comment on the specific incident.

But General Francisco Soriano, commander of the French contingent, has acknowledged “misconceptions” about his troops.

“Our operation is not partial,” he told reporters on Tuesday at the French military base near Bangui airport. “We take into consideration both parties.”

Hussain, for his part, angrily disagreed.

“We don’t trust the French because we’ve seen their one-sided actions,” he fumed.

“How can they just leave people to be slaughtered – and watch while it takes place?”

Read the original article published in Anadolu Agency on 18 December 2013

Bangui Muslims skeptical about French disarming

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

No end in sight for civilians in CAR

Anadolu Agency (AA) Correspondent Assed Baig has travelled to the war stricken region of the Central African Republic to report on the crisis

No end in sight for civilians in CAR

BANGUI

The number of internally displaced people camped at the airport in the capital of the Central African Republic, Bangui, has increased to 40,000 according to aid workers in the city.

In March this year Seleka Muslim rebels seized power in the majority Christian country. They removed the President Francois Bozize from power and replaced him with Michel Djotodia. The Seleka have been accused of carrying out atrocities against Christian communities. The Christian anti-Balaka or anti-machete have started to fight back, but not without being accused of atrocities of their own.

In recent weeks, the French have intervened in their former colony sending 1,600 troops to the troubled country to try and stop the violence that has ensued. 2,500 African Union troops are also in the country aiding the mission. President Djotodia has lost control of many of the rebels that brought him to power. People see him as lacking legitimacy. Although he has been trying to talk to militas of late, maybe fearing that his days in power are numbered if he cannot help bring some sort of peace to the country.

According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, 600 people were killed in violence last week. There is no real way of finding out the exact number as travelling outside of the capital is dangerous. There is still a curfew in place in Bangui.
Last week, the number of internally displaced people was 30,000, but despite the presence of French and African troops the number has increased as people still fear for their safety. They have camped at the airport where the French troops are based. They feel like it is safer. However, Médecins Sans Frontiéres (MSF) (Doctors Without Borders) workers told Anadolu Agency that there is not enough aid to meet the needs of those in the camp.

“Water, sanitation, plastic sheeting and blankets.  It’s cold at night and these are only the most basic of needs,” said Cpement Chauvel.

Standing inside the camp he told Anadolu Agency, “Nothing has been distributed, take a look around for yourself.”

MSF have been working on the ground with local and international staff. They recently wrote a letter to the United Nations criticising their response to the humanitarian crisis.

“All these people want is to go back to their homes. But they can’t go back until they feel it is safe,” said coordinator for MSF, Lindis Husum.

Malaria and malnutrition is also becoming a massive problem here at the camp. It is hot and there is very little shade. People line up crammed next to each other, waiting to be seen by MSF doctors that are working flat-out to try and meet the needs of these people.

Charoline Bekaye came to the camp two weeks ago. She has her two-year-old baby with her and waits in line to be seen by a medic.

“We fled because of the war. I will return, but only when it changes,” she told Anadolu Agency. Charoline is at the camp with her six children and says that she is struggling to feed them.

Larissa Danboi gave birth in the camp two weeks ago. Her baby boy is dressed in pink. “Any baby clothes I had were destroyed when our house was burnt down, this is all I have left,” she says.

The baby doesn’t have a name yet. The family didn’t expect the baby to be born in this camp. The last two weeks of violence have forced many to come here in search of a sense of safety.

“There is an average of eight babies being born a day here at this camp,” says Husum. “We have local midwives but we need more. There is one that has come into the country today. We can’t wait to see her, she is very badly needed,” Husum tells us.

The camp is surrounded by barbed wire and security is tight. Two French troops were killed last week, something that shocked the French and the local population. There is a process of disarming taking place, but locals told me that they believe rebels have just changed into civilian clothes and are hiding their weapons.

There have also been revenge attacks on Muslims carried out by Christians. Mosques have been burnt down and Muslims murdered in the street. People want to take their own form of justice; mob violence has been a common occurrence over the last two weeks. There is a lot of resentment towards the Seleka, but this has been directed towards Muslims in the country, even if they had nothing to do with the Seleka.

Shops and businesses were open today, taxis were running and people were in the streets. The road from the airport had African Union soldiers and police standing every 100 meters or so. Soldiers with their guns at the ready and police with their riot gear stand out amongst the locals. There is a feeling here that the atmosphere could switch at any minute and that the mobs will once again take to the streets to try and dish out their own form of justice.

Read the original article published in Anadolu Agency on 16 December 2013

AA witnesses tragedy of migrants in Libya

AA correspondent sheds light on the difficult journey of undocumented migrants from Libya to Europe via Italy.
By Assed Baig

TRIPOLI (AA) – Anadolu Agency (AA) correspondent investigates into migration and smuggling in Libya by traveling 640 km south of the capital Tripoli to Sabha, the largest city in the south.

Migrants from across Africa make their way from country to country, finally entering Libya. Here they try to reach Sabha, where they can either find work or locate smugglers that can take them to Tripoli.

Mukhtar, a 30-year-old local of Sabha who did not want to give his last name, smuggled migrants to Tripoli for eight years. He knows the routes and the process well, but now says that he has stopped.

He is a big man with a dark complexion, sports a short beard and has a very firm handshake. He stops occasionally to scribble in his notebook.

“Human smuggling is unethical and immoral, I don’t want to do it anymore,” he says.

Southern Libya is marred by lack of security and I was advised upon my arrival not to go out after dark.

Traveling outside of Sabha is even more difficult and we have to be especially careful when trying to visit the stations where migrants are dropped off in order to find local smugglers to take them to Tripoli.

Mukhtar tells me about the poor security situation. He has an AK-47 automatic rifle in the corner of the room. He sees that my eyes have fallen upon it, and suddenly stops mid conversation, walks over picks it up and heads straight for the door. He fires a round into the air whilst standing in the doorway. With a big smile on his face he looks at me and says, “Mia bi mia,” a common phrase used in Libya roughly translated as ‘100 out of 100.’

He tells me that he has to be armed. “It’s my security,” he says.

“I sometimes used to pick the migrants up from Qatrun, a village 300km south of Sabha on the main road to Chad and Niger.

“But the majority of the time I took them from Sabha,” he tells me as he lights up a cigarette.

He says he used to charge migrants 350 dinars (roughly $300) to take them to Tripoli. He took ten people at a time and did about ten journeys a month, making $3,000 a month.

He says he sometimes smuggled cigarettes and on rare occasions weapons.

“I was caught once with migrants in my car and they kept me for three months, they beat me badly, but I didn’t speak. After that they let me go, and I carried on smuggling,” he says. Another time he was caught with tobacco and was let out after a week.

Mukhtar tells me that they used expensive houses in affluent areas to hide migrants in between smuggling runs. This way, they were less likely to get caught, rather than keeping migrants in run-down derelict buildings.

Mukhtar was a smuggler during Gaddafi’s rule and he says that they drove throughout the night to get to Tripoli avoiding checkpoints.

“We drove with our headlights off,” he recalls.

“I was good at what I did, I knew the route,” almost boasting as he explained the details to me.

Mukhtar dubs the people-smuggling gangs as ‘mafia’ indicating their wealth and organizational capabilities. When I ask him about smuggling to Italy he simply says, “That’s a different mafia that deals with that, it is not us.”

Mukhtar was known as a seasoned smuggler and has a reputation as a strong man. He left his previous life and now runs a successful business making bricks.

After speaking to Mukhtar I head to a location where I am to meet a smuggler who still operates. I am told to wait in a room before he comes in.

A well built young man shakes my hand and then pulls out a handgun that is tucked into his jeans. He hands it to his friend before sitting down. Everyone carries guns here, especially smugglers. They can sometimes be the targets of other criminals because of the handsome money they make.

“There was no work for me so I started smuggling. It was difficult at first but it then became easy for me,” says the 22-year-old man who goes by the name “Akbar”.

He joined a group, or a ‘mafia’, when he first started smuggling. The first time he smuggled migrants to Tripoli he went with a friend, but after that he transported them on his own. He started smuggling people when he was 19.

“The first time I smuggled I was slightly fearful and afraid. ‘What happens if I have an accident or am caught by police?’ he voices. But after the first time my confidence grew and now I take it easy,” he says sitting crossed-leg on the floor.

Akbar used to study economics at university but dropped out because of poor family finances. He sometimes just acts as a broker passing people on to other smugglers and making a commission of 20 to 30 dinars ($20) on top. He only does this when he does not want to drive the migrants to Tripoli himself. As a ‘people dealer’ he can make $800 a month, much less than he earns when he does the job on his own.

“I switch the lights off and just drive through the desert. I don’t stop, it’s a 9-10 hour journey,” he says.

I ask what happens if a migrant falls off the back of the pickup truck. He laughs and says, “You just keep going.”

This is a common story. Migrants are often left in the desert to die if they fall off the trucks. The most hazardous journey is from Niger to Libya. Migrants often tie themselves with rope to the top of big trucks carrying other cargo. I am told that the Toubou militia are the ones that transport migrants into Libya on big cargo trucks.

The Toubou are an indigenous black people native to Libya. They were persecuted under Gaddafi and denied citizenship.

Migrants are picked up from the Al Manshia district of Sabha city by smugglers taking them to Tripoli.

“I smuggle men, women and children,” Akbar tells me whilst lighting up another cigarette.

I ask him if he feels sorry for the migrants.

He smiles, “I don’t feel sorry, this is my work.”

It is easier to smuggle now then it was under Gaddafi. However, the road is unsafe for everyone; there are militias and gangs of criminals that rob people along the route. Akbar, too, carries an AK-47 rifle with him when he is smuggling.

I ask him if he will ever leave this work, whether he will settle down and get married. He tells me that he is not even thinking about marriage at the moment as he is too busy working. Smuggling is not exactly a career you can boast about to your prospective wife or parents-in-law.

Akbar won’t let me take a picture of his face; he lets me take a picture of the back of his head. There is still a fear that the government may begin to clamp down on smugglers should law and order be implemented in the country.

Akbar needs another job before he will give up on people smuggling but there are no such prospects in the foreseeable future.

Read the original article published in Anadolu Agency on 7 December 2013