Muslimske Seleka-oprørere har dræbt mindst 11 og såret et stort antal andre ved at skyde vildt om sig og kaste håndgranater ind i en katolsk kirke i den kaosramte Centralafrikanske Republik (CARs) hovedstad, Bangui, under kampe med kristne militser i det overvejende kristne land.
The mostly Muslim Seleka rebels have been involved in heavy fighting with mainly Christian fighters in the anti-balaka militia since March 2013, writes BBC Online Wednesday.
The conflict has displaced about 25 per cent of CAR’s 4.6 million population.
The attack on the church followed hours of fighting in the PK5 neighborhood of Bangui. Eyewitnesses said those inside the Catholic church were seeking shelter from the clashes.
Christian militia fighters began putting up road blockades around Bangui in the hours after the attack.
It is the worst attack on Christians in the country since the Seleka rebels were ousted from power in January 2014.
Seleka Prime Minister Michel Djotodia was forced to resign as president after failing to stop anti-Christian attacks.
Since then, there have been widespread reprisals against Muslim civilians, who were almost completely driven out of Bangui.
The Seleka group still controls large parts of the country’s north. The African Union, France and the European Union have about 7,000 troops battling to end the conflict.
