- Title: Gunfire, protests erupt in Central African Republic capital
- Date: 24th October 2016
- Summary: BANGUI, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (OCTOBER 24, 2016) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS ON STREET POLICE VEHICLES/AUDIO OF GUNFIRE PROTESTERS CARRYING INJURED MAN/POLICE VEHICLE PROTESTERS RUNNING AWAY/POLICE VEHICLE REVERSING/AUDIO OF GUNFIRE MORE OF PROTESTERS RUNNING AWAY/AUDIO OF GUNFIRE (SOUNDBITE) (French) M. MARIEN JOËL KOYANGBO, BANGUI RESIDENT, SAYING: "I am a Central African. Where I live, in my district, it is peaceful. But in the rest of the country, my Central African brothers are suffering. I support the general strike" PROTESTERS THROWING STONES UN ARMOURED VEHICLE/UN OFFICERS UN ARMOURED VEHICLE/UN OFFICERS PROTESTER HOLDING PAPER READING 'OUT MINUSCA' (English) CLOSE OF PAPER READING 'OUT MINUSCA' PROTESTERS OUTSIDE UN BASE (SOUNDBITE) (French) DIDIER FABRICE BALANDEGUE, BANGUI RESIDENT, SAYING "There are rights in this country. We have the right to march to say 'no' to what doesn't work because our brothers and sisters are dying in the provinces in MINUSCA presence. We don't know what MINUSCA's mission is here. They are present when people are fighting each other and they don't intervene. We have seen it for ourselves that their mission is useless and it's in our best interest to ask them to leave. That's all. UN OFFICERS IN FRONT OF UN BASE CLOSE OF UN OFFICERS IN FRONT OF UN BASE VARIOUS OF UN SOLDIERS UN ARMOURED VEHICLE/PROTESTERS MORE OF UN ARMOURED VEHICLE/PROTESTERS ROADS BLOCKED BY PROTESTERS MORE OF ROADS BLOCKED BY PROTESTERS
- Embargoed: 8th November 2016 12:03
- Keywords: Central African Republic Bangui MINUSCA protests gunfire
- Location: BANGUI, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
- City: BANGUI, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
- Country: Central African Republic
- Topics: Civil Unrest
- Reuters ID: LVA00155D6MH3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: U.N. peacekeepers and armed men exchanged fire on Monday (October 24) in Central African Republic's capital Bangui, the United Nations said, while hundreds of protesters gathered to call for U.N. peacekeeping mission's departure.
"We have seen that their mission has no use and it's just better that they leave," said IT engineer Didier Fabrice Balandegue as gunfire rang out in the background.
Crowds gathered near a major roundabout, carrying anti-U.N. posters, throwing stones and shouting at their troops who responded with warning shots, a Reuters witness said.
One injured man was carried onto a police truck but it was unclear how he was wounded.
Central African Republic has been in chaos since early 2013 when fighting between mostly Muslim Seleka rebels and anti-Balaka Christian militias prompted the establishment of the MINUSCA mission a year later.
Criticism of the 13,000-strong mission has mounted in recent weeks with local people accusing the peacekeepers of not doing enough to protect them. Civil society groups called for a general strike on Monday to pressure the mission to leave.
MINUSCA has been dogged by dozens of allegations of sexual abuse, prompting a broad U.N. inquiry. Chadian troops within the mission were also accused in 2014 of killing 30 civilians in a crowded market, prompting the withdrawal of its troops.
This month 30 people were killed and dozens wounded during an attack on refugees by Seleka forces, although violence in the capital in recent months has been rare. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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