Mob Kills 7 Rebels In CAR Capital

CAR

Seven rebels have been killed by a mob in Bangui. The seven fighters killed were all members of the Seleka group which ousted Francois Bozize last month, in the former Central African Republic (CAR) president’s electoral district.

“Seven Seleka members who had been disarmed by military police were killed and five wounded on Monday evening and Tuesday morning in Boy-Rabe by armed men and civilians,” General Ousman Mahamat told reporters.

The army had earlier disarmed the fighters in a bid to restore order to the northern Boy-Rabe neighbourhood, which has been the scene of repeated pillaging and violence, Mahamat said on Tuesday.

Clashes between residents and Seleka fighters in the capital led to the death of almost 20 people at the weekend.

The clashes occurred as the Seleka fighters, who took control of the capital last month, were searching for hidden weapons, according to one police official.

As tension mounts in Boy-Rabe, authorities had been talking to residents and religious leaders to “find common ground” and calm the situation, Mahamat said.

Boy-Rabe along with many other areas of Bangui, residents say has suffered rampant looting by men, many of whom claimed to be from Seleka.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned “Seleka’s acts of violence against the civilian population”, a UN spokesperson said

Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said cases of targeted killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, recruitment of children, rapes, disappearances and kidnappings had been reported since the rebel takeover.

“I call all on parties involved in the crisis … to put an end to the prevailing insecurity and violence plaguing the country,” she said.