21 - 27 September 2015

1. More than twenty people killed in renewed fighting in Bangui

“RCA: violents affrontements à Bangui.” Radio France Internationale (RFI), 26 September 2015. In French.

• Violence broke out in Bangui, particularly in the Muslim neighborhood of PK5, after a young Muslim taxi driver was killed on Saturday 26 September. According to local sources, the young man was killed by a group of unidentified men who attacked his vehicle, slit his throat, and left his body at a local mosque.
• Following news of this death, Muslim youth in PK5 set up barricades and fighting broke out, causing thousands of residents to flee the area.
• According to preliminary reports from the Red Cross, at least twenty people were killed and more than 100 wounded.

“RCA: près de 40 morts et au moins 27 400 déplacés.” Journal de Bangui, 28 September 2015. In French.

• The spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner on Refugees reported that at least 27,400 people were displaced on 26 September due to fighting in Bangui. Around 10,000 of these people fled to the refugee camp at the M’Poko airport, which is already housing 11,000 people.
• The UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights also said that at least 37 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in this latest round of fighting, and that the offices of religious and civil society organizations have been looted. 
• This latest round of fighting came after several days of protests and unrest in Bangui, and was triggered by the killing of a Muslim youth near the neighborhood of PK 5.

“Central African Republic: Bangui Tense As Communal Strife Kills Scores.” Al Jazeera, via AllAfrica.com, 28 September 2015. In English.

• At least 36 people were killed and 80 wounded in fighting in Bangui over the weekend, with journalists reporting widespread looting throughout the city.
• Local sources said that the fighting began in the morning of 26 September, when Muslims attacked a Christian neighborhood after a young Muslim taxi driver was killed. Christian anti-balaka militias then retaliated and took to the streets with weapons and barricades.
• The CAR government reportedly said that these clashes were “aimed at derailing elections scheduled to take place next month,” but they have not announced any delay in the elections. 

2. Three people reportedly killed by UN peacekeepers during protests

“Bangui: trois manifestants tués par des Casques bleus.” Journal de Bangui, 28 September 2015. In French.

• According to anonymous sources, three people were killed and seven wounded after UN peacekeepers fired on a crowd of protestors in Bangui.
• The protestors were reportedly marching to the headquarters of the presidency to demand the resignation of CAR’s interim president, Catherine Samba-Panza.
• This incident comes at the end of a weekend of violence in Bangui, during which more than twenty people were killed. 

“C. African capital Bangui paralysed by wave of violence.” Agence France-Presse, via ReliefWeb, 29 September 2015. In English.

• Witnesses and sources at a hospital in Bangui reported that at least three people were killed and seven injured after UN peacekeepers opened fire on crowds during a protest in Bangui.
• The protestors were calling for the resignation of CAR’s interim president, Catherine Samba-Panza, after fighting between Muslim and Christian militias resulted in the deaths of more than 20 people in Bangui over the weekend.
• A statement from MINUSCA denied the report that peacekeepers opened fire on the crowd, but said that MINUSCA “remains concerned by such allegations and will proceed to verify them.” 

3. Anti-balaka militias free detainees in PK 12

“PK 12: Des détenus libérés par des manifestants assimilés aux Anti balaka.” Radio Ndeke Luka, 22 September 2015. In French.

• Anti-balaka militias freed around fifteen people detained by the gendarmerie in Bangui’s PK 12 neighborhood.
• According to several sources, armed men attacked the gendarmerie outposts in PK 12 and PK 30 and stole weapons and computers, in addition to freeing the prisoners.

4. CAR government denounces “plot” against transition

“Bangui à nouveau paralysée, le gouvernement voit un complot.” Radio Ndeke Luka, 27 September 2015. In French.

• Following a week of violence in Bangui, the transitional government in CAR denounced the recent insecurity as a ploy to discredit the transitional institutions and return former leaders to power.
• Dominique Saïd Panguindji, government spokesman and minister of public security, stated that this plan is “unrealistic” and said that it will not prevent elections from taking place before the end of the year.

“Samba-Panza: ‘Je garde le cap.’” Interview with BBC, via Centrafrique Presse Info (CPI), 29 September 2015. In French.

• In an interview with BBC correspondent Irene Herman Houngbo, CAR transitional president Catherine Samba-Panza stated: “We know that the old dignitaries of power want to return to their positions. This is not a secret to anyone, Nairobi showed us that. And since Nairobi, there have been incessant demands for a third transition with the inclusion of all the old dignitaries of the country. On the ground, we know that these are the elements that are orchestrating and feeding this insecurity.”
• Samba-Panza also stated that she will not give in to calls for her resignation, despite protests in Bangui last week.