Muslims Ethnically Cleansed in Central African Republic
Muslims Ethnically Cleansed in Central African Republic
Two thousand Muslims are now sheltered in a Catholic cathedral in the Central African Republic’s (CAR) southern city of Bangassou.
The country’s Muslims have been victims of a three-year-long ethnic cleansing campaign by the Antibalaka, a mostly-Christian militia. The Antibalaka are targeting all Muslims after a mostly-Muslim rebel group called Séléka deposed the country’s president in 2014. But the violence had mostly been limited to the north of the country until now.
The Antibalaka captured Bangassou in May, when the city’s Muslims first sought refuge in the church.
The state of the conflict in CAR is uncertain. Human rights observers say there have been few serious moves to resolve the crisis.
To discuss, we’re joined by Lewis Mudge, a researcher in the Africa Division at Human Rights Watch. He specializes on CAR, Rwanda, and Burundi.