The Daily Telegraph

Protesters carry civilian corpses ‘killed by UN soldiers’ to mission

- By Our Foreign Staff

HUNDREDS of angry demonstrat­ors yesterday laid the bodies of at least 16 people killed in clashes in the Central African Republic’s capital in front of the UN mission headquarte­rs.

It followed a four-hour gun battle between UN peacekeepe­rs, local security forces and armed groups in a Muslim enclave of the majority Christian city of Bangui.

The Central African Republic, one of the world’s poorest and most unstable countries, has been mired in a cycle of ethnic and religious violence since 2013. UN and CAR forces had been attempting to dismantle bases in the PK5 neighbourh­ood, leaving one Rwandan peacekeepe­r dead and eight others injured after fighting on Tuesday, the UN mission, known as MINUSCA, said.

The demonstrat­ors, who blame UN soldiers for firing on residents protesting against the operation, carried the bodies wrapped in cloth to MINUSCA’S gates. They shouted and carried signs as armed peacekeepe­rs stood before the entrance to the fortified compound.

“We, ourselves, no longer understand anything. Does their mission consist of shooting at civilians?” said one demonstrat­or, who gave his name only as Youssouf.

Vladimir Monteiro, a MINUSCA spokesman, said its troops had been targeting criminal gangs and denied they had fired at civilians. “The Muslim community asked our troops to launch the operation and put an end to the criminal activities,” Mr Monteiro said.

Atahirou Balla Dodo, the mayor of the district in which PK5 is located, said a total of 21 people were killed in the clashes. Seventeen were brought to the mission, while four others, including two women and two children, had remained at a mosque.

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