UN: Warnings Of Genocide In Central African Republic
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The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights warned on Thursday that the violence between Christians and Muslims in the Central African Republic has reached a “terrifying level,” and that there was “no justice, no law and order apart from that provided by foreign troops.” There have been daily reports of killings and sexual violence, and there are an estimated 15,000 Muslims trapped in the west and north of the country, fearing Christian retaliation. 
Rwandan peacekeeping soldiers in CAR (Image via SSgt Ryan Crane, January 2014)
6,000 African peacekeepers and 2,000 French troops are in country, but most are concentrated in the capital city of Bangui, and have been unable to stop the bloody clashes in rural areas. The European Union is preparing to send 1,000 more troops. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appealed to the international community for an additional 10,000 troops. International aid agencies have apparently only received 20% of the $550 million that they have requested in order to fully fund relief operations.
UN High Commisioner Navi Pillay said, “I cannot help thinking that if the Central African Republic were not a poor country hidden away in the heart of Africa, the terrible events that have taken place—and continue to take place—would have stimulated a far stronger and more dynamic reaction by the outside world.”
Read more at the New York Times and Washington Post.
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