CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: A family fleeing the capital of the Central African Republic come under fire as violence against Muslims escalates

Record ID: 354099

  • Title: CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: A family fleeing the capital of the Central African Republic come under fire as violence against Muslims escalates
  • Date: 28th January 2014
  • Summary: BANGUI, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (JANUARY 28, 2014) (REUTERS) MAN (WHO WAS IN THE CAR THAT CAME UNDER ATTACK) POINTING AT THE CAR THAT WAS JUST ATTACKED, SAYING THERE ARE STILL CHILDREN IN THE CAR WOMEN AND CHILDREN CRYING WHO WERE JUST IN THE CAR GUNSHOTS RING OUT AS WOMAN WITH TWO CHILDREN START TO RUN AWAY MISCA (RWANDAN) SOLDIERS IN THE STREET WHO CAME WOMAN HUDDLES
  • Embargoed: 12th February 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Central African Republic
  • Country: Central African Republic
  • Topics: Conflict
  • Reuters ID: LVAHDE47MA26SERMVYGFXVOUA50
  • Story Text: A vehicle carrying Muslims trying to escape from the Central African Republic came under attack on Tuesday (January 28) as they drove to Bangui airport.
    Grenades and guns were fired at the car after it broke down at the roadside.
    Most of the family fled to the cover of nearby buildings in the Miskine area of the capital.
    A Reuters cameraman, arriving at the scene shortly after the attack, filmed a man pointing to the vehicle abandoned by the roadside, apparently with children still inside.
    Rwandan troops from the regional peacekeeping force known as MISCA arrived on the scene to secure the area as gunfire continued.
    A man who had been in the vehicle, speaking outside a house where the group sought shelter, said: "We were going to airport because we want to go to Chad. When we got here, the car broke down. They started shooting at us. They threw grenades at us. That's why we came here for security. But they told us to leave. But leave to go where?"
    On Monday (January 27) U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay warned of escalating reprisals against Muslims and urged foreign governments to do more to stop the country being torn apart.
    Almost one million people, or a quarter of the population, have been displaced by fighting since the mostly Muslim Seleka rebel group seized power in March in the majority Christian country.
    Christian self-defense groups known as "anti-balaka" (anti-machete) have since taken up arms against them and at least 2,000 people have been killed in the tit-for-tat violence.
    A spokesman for the local Red Cross said it had recovered 13 dead bodies from the streets of Bangui on Monday (January 27), in both Christian and Muslim neighborhoods.
    On Tuesday a burned corpse was left lying on the ground in the area hit by the violence.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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