ANKARA
International peacekeepers have failed to prevent the ethnic cleansing of Muslim civilians in the western part of the Central African Republic (CAR), Amnesty International reports Wednesday.
The global rights watchdog recommended that international peacekeeping forces break the control of anti-Balaka Christian militias and station sufficient troops in towns where Muslims are threatened in order to protect the country’s remaining communities.
"Anti-Balaka militias are carrying out violent attacks in an effort to ethnically cleanse Muslims in the CAR," said Joanne Mariner, a senior crisis response adviser at Amnesty International.
The organization accuses the international community of not responding to the crisis appropriately indicating that peacekeeping forces are reluctant to challenge the anti-Balaka militias.
According to over one hundred testimonies that were gathered by Amnesty International, anti-Balaka attacks on Muslim civilians have been confirmed in the northwest towns of Bouali, Boyali, Bossembele, Bossemptele and Baoro. International troops failed to deploy any forces to these towns, leaving civilian communities without protection.
Report indicates that more than 100 people were killed and scores were injured in Bossemptélé on January 18, 2014, following clashes between anti-Balaka militias on one hand and armed Muslim civilians and Seleka members on the other. International peacekeeping forces were not present in the town during the clashes.
The attack on Boulai by anti-Balaka forces left five Muslim civilians dead, three of them women, and injured some 20 others on January 14, 2014.
After Seleka forces left Boyali on January 8, anti-Balaka fighters launched an attack on its civilian residents, killing some 30, including 13 members of a single family. The rest of the Muslim population fled in fear. There were no international forces in the area at the time of the attack or in its aftermath.
An anti-Balaka attack on Bossembele during mid-January 2014, resulted in the deaths of 43 Muslims. Women, old men, and a seven-month-old baby were amongst the dead. At least 12 others were injured.
Muslims have increasingly been targeted since Catherine Samba-Panza, mayor of capital Bangui and a Christian, was elected interim president in January.
She replaced Michel Djotodia, who had come to power in March 2013 when Seleka rebels – said to be mostly Muslim – ousted Francois Bozize, a Christian, who had come to power in a 2003 coup.
During the sectarian violence in the CAR, Christians were also attacked by Seleka rebels and armed Muslim civilians.
According to Amnesty International’s report more than 100 Christian civilians were killed by Seleka fighters and armed Muslim civilians on January 22 in the small town of Baoro.
On December 31, 2013, 24 Christian residents of Bata were killed and several others were injured by Seleka forces and armed Muslim residents of nearby communities.
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