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