50 killed in deadly clashes in Central Africa

International Desk: Around 50 people were killed on Tuesday in the Central African Republic town of Bria when fighting erupted between rival armed factions despite the signing a day earlier of a peace deal aimed at ending years of bloodshed, the town's mayor said.

Bodies lay in the streets of Bria, around 580 km (360 miles) northeast of the capital Bangui, and dozens of more people were treated for wounds including gunshots, aid workers after clashes broke out at dawn.

Thousands have died and a fifth of Central Africans have fled their homes in the conflict that broke out after mainly Muslim Seleka rebels ousted President Francois Bozize in 2013, provoking a backlash from Christian anti-balaka militias.

Thirteen of the 14 armed groups along with representatives from the government signed Monday's accord in Rome. The deal, brokered by the Roman Catholic Sant' Egidio peace group, called for an immediate ceasefire.

But the fighting in Bria broke out between former Seleka members and anti-balaka fighters less than 24 hours later.

"I can say there are around 50 dead. There are 42 bodies that were taken to the hospital. There are also bodies in the neighbourhoods that have not been picked up yet," mayor Maurice Belikoussou told Reuters.

Witnesses said houses were looted and set on fire during the clashes. The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said it had already received 35 wounded by 9.30 am (0830 GMT) at the hospital, it runs in the town. Most had been shot.

The presence of rival factions in Bria has made the town a regular flashpoint, including during fighting that killed around 300 people and displaced 100,000 last month.

Source: Agencies


risingbd/Dhaka/June 21, 2017/A K Azad