On the brink of anarchy
BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — As the armed fighters who rule this country hunted door-to-door for their enemies yesterday, Christian civilians caught in the crossfire fled by the thousands to the only refuge they know in this chaotic capital — the airport guarded by French forces.
A spasm of sectarian bloodshed Thursday left more than 100 people dead across Bangui, and bodies lay decomposing along the roads in a capital too dangerous for people to collect the corpses. The clashes marked the worst unrest in Bangui in nine months and raised fears that waves of retaliatory attacks could soon follow.
“They are slaughtering us like chickens,” said Appolinaire Donoboy, a Christian whose family remained in hiding.
France had pledged to amp up its presence in its former colony well before Christian militias attacked the capital at dawn Thursday. The arrival of additional French troops and equipment came as the capital teetered on the brink of total anarchy and represented the greatest hope for many Central Africans.
About 1,000 French forces were expected to be on the ground by yesterday evening, a French defence official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly on the matter.
As night fell across the near anarchic capital, Christians fearing retaliatory attacks by the mostly Muslim ex-rebels crowded as close to the runway as possible, laying out their woven mats in front of a barbed wire coiled fence.
When several French helicopters landed at the airport, people sang with joy as they banged on plastic buckets and waved rags into the air.
France signalled its amped up presence yesterday by sending out armoured vehicles to patrol the streets. A French fighter jet made several flyovers, roaring through the sky over an otherwise lifeless capital as civilians cowered at home.
A planned vote on a UN Security Council resolution Thursday allowed France to proceed with its mission. It coincided with the worst violence to roil the capital since March when the mostly Muslim rebels known as Seleka overthrew the president of a decade.
On Thursday, Christian militias believed to be loyal to ousted leader Francois Bozize attacked the city, and hours of gunbattles ensued. The conflict in one of Africa’s poorest countries has gathered little sustained international attention since the Government overthrow in March, and the dramatic developments were overshadowed yesterday by global mourning for South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, who died at the age of 95.
“Thanks to France and the United Nations who want to save the Central Africans, soon the Seleka attacks on civilians will stop. We have had enough of Seleka killing, raping and stealing,” said Abel Nguerefara, who lives on the outskirts of Bangui.
Streets in the city were empty yesterday except for military vehicles and the trucks favoured by the rebel forces who now claim control of the Government. Nine unclaimed bodies lay sprawled in front of the Parliament building alone — local Red Cross workers didn’t dare retrieve them, or other bodies that were left to decay outside.