‘Ethnic cleansing’ underway in Central African Republic, say Amnesty
Rights group Amnesty International says in report that ethnic cleansing is taking place in central Africa as Muslims are forced out
“Ethnic cleansing” is being carried out against Muslim civilians in the Central African Republic, with international peacekeepers unable to prevent it, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.
The rights group said it had documented at least 200 killings of Muslim civilians by Christian militia groups known as the anti-balaka, set up in the wake of the March last year coup by the mainly Muslim Seleka rebellion.
“‘Ethnic cleansing’ of Muslims has been carried out in the western part of the Central African Republic, the most populous part of the country, since early January this year,” Amnesty International said in a report.
“Entire Muslim communities have been forced to flee, and hundreds of Muslim civilians who have not managed to escape have been killed by the loosely organised militias known as anti-balaka.”
The group said attacks against Muslims had been committed “with the stated intent to forcibly displace these communities from the country,” with many anti-balaka fighters viewing Muslims as “‘foreigners’ who should leave the country or be killed.”
“They appear to be achieving their aims, with Muslims being forced out of the country in increasingly large numbers,” it said.
The impoverished country descended into chaos last March after the mainly Muslim rebellion overthrew the government, sparking deadly violence that has uprooted a million people out of a population of 4.6 million.