Central African prelate urges government to act following massacre
August 20, 2014
Following a massacre committed by Islamist fighters in the Central African Republic, the nation’s leading prelate urged the government to take quick action.
Speaking for “those who are displaced, who are fleeing the ongoing violence and are living in difficult conditions,” Archbishop Dieudonné Nzapalainga of Bangui urged the nation’s government “to take quick decisions to stop the suffering of the population,” according to a Fides news agency report.
The massacre follows a recent truce between Séléka and anti-Balaka forces. The Islamist Séléka forces held sway in the country from March 2013 until January 2014 and conducted a campaign of persecution against Christian churches. The anti-Balaka forces, composed largely of animists and Christians, originally organized in self-defense but later took revenge, attacking mosques and driving numerous Muslims from their homes.
The nation’s hierarchy has emphasized that anti-Balaka is not a Christian organization and has denounced human rights violations on both sides.
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Further information:
- The Archbishop of Bangui to politicians "stop the suffering of the people as soon as possible" (Fides)
- Ex-Seleka fighters massacre 'at least 34' in C.Africa villages (AFP)
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