CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (ANS, Oct.5, 2015) — One of the top three religious leaders in the Central African Republic (CAR), who has won global recognition for his efforts to end the conflict, has escaped an assassination attempt, as the capital, Bangui, has seen a renewed wave of violence.
According to an article by Illia Djadi, writing for World Watch Monitor, www.worldwatchmonitor.org, the President of CAR's Evangelical Alliance, Rev. Nicolas Guerekoyame-Gbangou, was targeted in an attack apparently triggered by the death of a young Muslim motorcycle taxi driver. His body was found in the predominantly Christian 5th district on Saturday, September 26, then taken to a mosque in the 3rd district, known also as Km5 – formerly considered by many as a stronghold of Séléka rebels, and a "no-go zone" for all non-Muslims.
World Watch Monitor says who killed the young taxi-driver and why are still unknown.
In its report, World watch monitor says that at about 9am on September 26, angry Muslim youths left the 3rd district and poured into the 5th district, brandishing automatic weapons, machetes, and raiding and destroying properties. They entered the Elim Church compound, where Rev. Guerekoyame-Gbangou's house is located, asking for him.
"The assailants asked for 'pastor Nicolas, who is pro-peace … but who always attacks us'. But they learned that I had already left the house," the pastor said.
World Watch Monitor reports the angry mob then looted all valuable items, before setting fire to the house. The assailants also ransacked other buildings in the compound, setting fire to them, and shooting randomly.
Rev. Guerekoyame-Gbangou's family was unharmed and has moved to an undisclosed safe place, the news outlet said.
World Watch Monitor explained that CAR had experienced religious and ethnic unrest between mainly Muslim Séléka rebels and mainly animist "anti-balaka" militia for more than two years since Séléka seized power in March 2013. It was believed that the country was recovering after reconciliation efforts by the top Muslim and Christian clerics, which had led to them receiving a peace award in August.
The violence, the worst the capital has experienced this year, has dashed Bangui's fragile stability, the news outlet said.
World Watch Monitor also said that early on the afternoon of September 26, "anti-balaka" ("anti-machete") militias started fighting back, leading to their deadly clashes with Muslim armed groups and ex- Séléka rebels. Witnesses reported people slaughtered or shot at close range, corpses littering the ground or thrown into wells. Places of worship and homes were looted and burned.
The news outlet reported the Catholic Saint Michel church was set ablaze, while Saint Mathias Parish church was ransacked and desecrated. A mosque and a Muslim radio headquarters were also attacked, as well as several international humanitarian organizations' offices, whose relief stock and materials were looted.
Then news outlet said the violence continued despite a night curfew imposed by the authorities; the tension was still high with sporadic gun and weapon detonations heard on Tuesday. The violence caused President Samba-Panza to leave the UN General Assembly to rush home.
World Watch Monitor reported the UN said on Tuesday that at least 40 people have lost their lives since September 26, and nearly 30,000 people were forced to flee. But the death toll could be much higher, local sources told World Watch Monitor, as more bodies may be discovered, and hundreds are feared to be injured.
The news outlet said Rule of law was dealt a further blow when some 500 inmates broke out of the central prison in Bangui. Most of them are "anti-balaka," according to the BBC.
In addition to the violence, World Watch Monitor stated that hundreds of people demonstrated to express their discontent against French troops, accused of inertia over armed groups – responsible, the demonstrators said, for the violence.
The news agency explained that opposition parties called for mass demonstrations on Wednesday, Sept. 30, against the UN and French forces to make way for the reconstitution of the national armed forces, the resignation of the interim President and the start of a new transition.
Other photo on this page : Left to right: Imam Omar Kobine Layama, Msgr. Dieudonné Nzapalainga and Rev. Nicolas Guerekoyame-Gbangou collect their awards at the UN in Switzerland in August, 2015. (Courtesy World Watch Monitor).