By Kieran Guilbert
DAKAR, June 17 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Fresh violence in northwest Central African Republic this week has killed several people and forced thousands from their homes, with many seeking refuge in neighbouring Chad and Cameroon, the United Nations said on Friday.
The spate of attacks and reprisals took place in Ngaoundaye, about 500 km (300 miles) northwest of the capital, between groups backed by Christian militias and herders supported by Muslim fighters, said the U.N. peacekeeping mission (MINUSCA).
Several people have been injured and killed in recent days, houses have been burned and looted, and thousands of people have been uprooted, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
“This new spiral of violence will likely cause additional needs in CAR while the increasing insecurity is rendering the work of humanitarian actors even more challenging,” Michel Yao, the country’s humanitarian coordinator, said in a statement.
Central African Republic descended into chaos in March 2013 when mainly Muslim Seleka fighters seized power, triggering reprisal attacks by Christian anti-balaka militias.
