Homes are being torched and child soldiers are roaming the streets, as the Central African Republic continues to be plagued by inter-militia violence.
The cycle of violence is deeply set, as communities become mired in distrust and a will for revenge in tit-for-tat attacks.
Hundreds of people have been killed in recent weeks, as the largely Muslim Seleka rebel group, which ousted the country’s president in March, and a largely Christian militia named Anti-Balaka – “Balaka” meaning “machete”, the Seleka weapon of choice – have targeted each other, and unarmed villagers.
“The entire population of 4.6 million people is affected,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “And half of them are children.”
He described 2013 as the year CAR descended into chaos, and called for a commission of inquiry into reports of atrocities.
Aljazeera
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