Jihadist rebels threaten government of Central African Republic

March 14, 2013

Jihadist rebels in the Central African Republic are threatening Catholic institutions and creating a “situation very similar to that of Mali,” Bishop Juan José Aguirre Munos of Bangassou has warned the Fides news service.

The rebel coalition known as Seleka seeks to overthrow the country’s government and “impose a regime of Islamic imprint,” the bishop said. He later reported that a rebel advance had apparently been halted in Bangassou. Relief agencies are now working to deliver needed supplies to the city’s beleaguered residents.

 

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Further information:

• "Seleka consists largely of jihadists, our situation is similar to that of Mali," says the Bishop of Bangassou (Fides)
• The advance of the rebels towards the east seems to have stopped (Fides)