The civil war in Central African Republic that started in 2013 has turned into an “ethnic cleansing of the Muslim population” a United Nations commission of inquiry report stated. Fighting in the country started when Seleka rebels overthrew Francois Bozize’s government but quickly lost control when non-Muslims revolted against them accusing them of looting and killing them.
Last year, the International Criminal Court was concerned about the Human right abuses in the country. It later on opened an investigation into allegations of murder, rape and the recruiting of child soldiers. At least 6,000 people are reported to have lost their lives since the crises started two years ago.
The report credited the African Union peacekeepers, French troops and then the UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSCA) for their role in preventing “an even greater explosion of violence.”
The report didn’t label the killings in the country as genocide but concluded that the “ethnic cleansing of the Muslim population by the anti-balaka constitutes a crime against humanity.” The anti-balaka is a militia armed group made up of Christians and animists. They claim to be a revenge mission after being submitted to atrocities when the Muslim Seleka rebels were in power. The report accused Seleka and the militia of committing for war crimes and crimes against humanity
Many Central African Muslims have fled the country to neighboring countries.
Foreign troops in the country have been able to reduce the scale of violence in the country. Around 7,600 troops are present in the country, 2000 of which are French troops. The U.N is planning to increase the number of the Peacekeepers to almost 12000 after taking over the African Union in September 2013.