05-05-2018, 11:03 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-05-2018, 11:30 PM by John J. Xenakis.)
*** 6-May-18 World View -- Muslim vs Catholic violence surges again in Central African Republic
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Muslim vs Catholic violence surges again in CAR capital city Bangui
****
![[Image: g180505b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g180505b.jpg)
Aftermath of violence clashes in Bangui, CAR, on May 1 (Defense Post)
Sectarian Muslim versus Christian violence in the Central African
Republic (CAR) has continued with armed groups and marauding gangs,
both Muslim and Christian, almost nonstop across the country, since
the violence began in 2013. The capital city Bangui has been
relatively spared from violence in the last year, but this has changed
in the last month, with sectarian attacks killing dozens of people,
including attacks on a Catholic Church and a mosque.
The violence mostly took place in the PK5 district of Bangui. Bangui
is a mostly Catholic city, but PK5 is a mostly Muslim enclave within
Bangui. I wrote about PK5 in November 2015,
when Pope Francis visited Bangui, and particularly
paid a visit to the PK5 mosque.
The exact sequence of events isn't completely clear, but it appears that
the violence began early in April when MINUSCA, the UN peacekeeper
mission for CAR, joined local CAR security forces to launch a joint
security operation in PK5 to dismantle militia bases that were hiding
out in PK5.
MINUSCA is the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated
Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (CAR), launched
in April 2014 as a peacekeeping mission. Unfortunately, there has
been little peace for MINUSCA to keep. CAR is a huge country, and
pretty much the entire country is in flames, so MINUSCA has mostly
restricted itself to Bangui.
On April 10, the joint security operation turned into a bloody
massacre, as the security forces battled several armed groups in PK5,
known as the "self-defense forces," a name that reflects lack of
respect in the Muslim community for either MINUSCA or CAR's current
government. A total of 21 people were killed in a four-hour gun
battle between the security forces and the self-defense forces,
including a peacekeeper from Rwanda. 11 peacekeepers were wounded.
AFP (9-Apr)
****
**** Angry protesters bring corpses to MINUSCA headquarters in Bangui
****
On April 11, hundreds of angry demonstrators from PK5 held a peaceful
march in Bangui, and in a dramatic gesture, carried the corpses of 17
of the 21 who had been killed, and laid the corpses in front
of the MINUSCA mission headquarters. According to one demonstrator:
<QUOTE>"We, ourselves, no longer understand anything. Does
their mission consist of shooting at civilians?"<END QUOTE>
MINUSCA denied that civilians had been targeted, and said that only
criminal gangs had been targeted. A spokesman criticized the
demonstrators:
<QUOTE>"This is not an operation against communities and
specifically the Muslim community. The Muslim community asked our
troops to launch the operation and put an end to the criminal
activities.
We regret the fact that the bodies were being manipulated, while
they should be buried like every person who dies."<END QUOTE>
So-called Muslim "self-defense groups" have been springing up in PK5,
claiming to protect the Muslim civilians.
The relationship between MINUSCA and the self-defense groups has
become increasingly acrimonious. The self-defense groups claim that
MINUSCA is trying to drive the Muslims out of Bangui entirely, while
MINUSCA accuses them of extortion and violence against civilians.
Reuters (11-Apr) and The Defense Post
****
**** The self-defense group 'The Force' gets revenge
****
One of the PK5 self-defense groups, "The Force," got revenge on May 1
when gunmen attacked a service at a Catholic Church in Bangui. Some
2000 people had gathered for the service, when armed men threw
grenades and fired on the church. The attack lasted for hours,
killing a priest and at least 15 people from the church, and injuring
hundreds more.
After attacking the church, the perpetrators moved into neighboring
districts, looting shops and homes and attacking civilians. An
Evangelical church member was killed outside his home.
Various officials offered the usual rhetoric. The head of the
Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Mervyn Thomas said:
<QUOTE>"We extend our condolences to the parishioners of Our
Lady Fatima Church, to the family of Albert Toungoumale Baba and
to all those who have been bereaved.
The attack on a place of worship not only violates the right to
freedom of religion or belief, but also threatens the social
fabric of the community that religious leaders of all faiths have
worked to maintain throughout the recent conflict."<END QUOTE>
Amnesty International issued the usual near-boilerplate
statement:
<QUOTE>"Central African authorities and MINUSCA must send an
immediate and clear message to all armed groups and their allies
in CAR: No attack against civilians will be tolerated and all
those suspected of committing war crimes and other serious human
rights violations and abuses will be brought to
justice."<END QUOTE>
La Libre (Belgium) (Translation) and Premier (UK) and Amnesty International
****
**** Central African Republic crisis civil war continues
****
Despite Amnesty International's laughable rhetoric, "No attack against
civilians will be tolerated," CAR is in a generational crisis civil
war, and there's no end in sight.
The CAR sectarian war began in March 2013, when François Bozizé, the
Christian former president of CAR, was ousted in a coup in March 2013
by Michel Djotodia, a Muslim, who became president and served until
January 2014.
After Djotodia's coup took place in March 2013, Muslim Seleka militias
began committing atrocities, particularly targeting the Christian
constituencies of the deposed François Bozizé. In December 2013,
French Foreign Legion peacekeeping troops arrived to disarm the Seleka
militias.
The peacekeepers succeeded, but then the Christian anti-balaka
militias "rushed into the vacuum," and began committing atrocities in
2014, for revenge against the Selekas. Since then, both Christians
and Muslims have been committing atrocities, and it's become a
full-scale generational crisis war. Thousands have been killed, and
millions have been displaced.
Although the CAR war appears to be entirely sectarian, that isn't
entirely true. The Muslims are mostly herders, while the Christians
are mostly farmers, and this is the same kind of conflict between
herders and farmers that I've described in Central African Republic,
Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Nigeria, and even America
in the 1800s. As population grows, the farmers accuse the herders of
letting the cattle eat their crops, while the herders accuse the
farmers of planting on land that's meant for grazing. If the farmers
put up fences, then the herders knock them down. In CAR, there have
been situations where Muslim and Christian farmers were united in
fighting Muslim herders.
As I've explained in the past, CAR's last generational crisis war was
the 1928-1931 Kongo-Wara Rebellion ("War of the Hoe Handle"), which
was a very long time ago, putting CAR today deep into a generational
Crisis era, where a new crisis war is increasingly likely. ( "2-Oct-15 World View -- Violence resurges in Central African Republic crisis war"
)
Related Articles:
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Central African Republic, CAR, Bangui,
PK5, Pope Francis, MINUSCA,
United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission,
self-defense groups, The Force,
Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Mervyn Thomas,
François Bozizé, Michel Djotodia,
Kongo-Wara Rebellion, War of the Hoe Handle
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Muslim vs Catholic violence surges again in CAR capital city Bangui
- Angry protesters bring corpses to MINUSCA headquarters in Bangui
- The self-defense group 'The Force' gets revenge
- Central African Republic crisis civil war continues
****
**** Muslim vs Catholic violence surges again in CAR capital city Bangui
****
Aftermath of violence clashes in Bangui, CAR, on May 1 (Defense Post)
Sectarian Muslim versus Christian violence in the Central African
Republic (CAR) has continued with armed groups and marauding gangs,
both Muslim and Christian, almost nonstop across the country, since
the violence began in 2013. The capital city Bangui has been
relatively spared from violence in the last year, but this has changed
in the last month, with sectarian attacks killing dozens of people,
including attacks on a Catholic Church and a mosque.
The violence mostly took place in the PK5 district of Bangui. Bangui
is a mostly Catholic city, but PK5 is a mostly Muslim enclave within
Bangui. I wrote about PK5 in November 2015,
when Pope Francis visited Bangui, and particularly
paid a visit to the PK5 mosque.
The exact sequence of events isn't completely clear, but it appears that
the violence began early in April when MINUSCA, the UN peacekeeper
mission for CAR, joined local CAR security forces to launch a joint
security operation in PK5 to dismantle militia bases that were hiding
out in PK5.
MINUSCA is the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated
Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (CAR), launched
in April 2014 as a peacekeeping mission. Unfortunately, there has
been little peace for MINUSCA to keep. CAR is a huge country, and
pretty much the entire country is in flames, so MINUSCA has mostly
restricted itself to Bangui.
On April 10, the joint security operation turned into a bloody
massacre, as the security forces battled several armed groups in PK5,
known as the "self-defense forces," a name that reflects lack of
respect in the Muslim community for either MINUSCA or CAR's current
government. A total of 21 people were killed in a four-hour gun
battle between the security forces and the self-defense forces,
including a peacekeeper from Rwanda. 11 peacekeepers were wounded.
AFP (9-Apr)
****
**** Angry protesters bring corpses to MINUSCA headquarters in Bangui
****
On April 11, hundreds of angry demonstrators from PK5 held a peaceful
march in Bangui, and in a dramatic gesture, carried the corpses of 17
of the 21 who had been killed, and laid the corpses in front
of the MINUSCA mission headquarters. According to one demonstrator:
<QUOTE>"We, ourselves, no longer understand anything. Does
their mission consist of shooting at civilians?"<END QUOTE>
MINUSCA denied that civilians had been targeted, and said that only
criminal gangs had been targeted. A spokesman criticized the
demonstrators:
<QUOTE>"This is not an operation against communities and
specifically the Muslim community. The Muslim community asked our
troops to launch the operation and put an end to the criminal
activities.
We regret the fact that the bodies were being manipulated, while
they should be buried like every person who dies."<END QUOTE>
So-called Muslim "self-defense groups" have been springing up in PK5,
claiming to protect the Muslim civilians.
The relationship between MINUSCA and the self-defense groups has
become increasingly acrimonious. The self-defense groups claim that
MINUSCA is trying to drive the Muslims out of Bangui entirely, while
MINUSCA accuses them of extortion and violence against civilians.
Reuters (11-Apr) and The Defense Post
****
**** The self-defense group 'The Force' gets revenge
****
One of the PK5 self-defense groups, "The Force," got revenge on May 1
when gunmen attacked a service at a Catholic Church in Bangui. Some
2000 people had gathered for the service, when armed men threw
grenades and fired on the church. The attack lasted for hours,
killing a priest and at least 15 people from the church, and injuring
hundreds more.
After attacking the church, the perpetrators moved into neighboring
districts, looting shops and homes and attacking civilians. An
Evangelical church member was killed outside his home.
Various officials offered the usual rhetoric. The head of the
Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Mervyn Thomas said:
<QUOTE>"We extend our condolences to the parishioners of Our
Lady Fatima Church, to the family of Albert Toungoumale Baba and
to all those who have been bereaved.
The attack on a place of worship not only violates the right to
freedom of religion or belief, but also threatens the social
fabric of the community that religious leaders of all faiths have
worked to maintain throughout the recent conflict."<END QUOTE>
Amnesty International issued the usual near-boilerplate
statement:
<QUOTE>"Central African authorities and MINUSCA must send an
immediate and clear message to all armed groups and their allies
in CAR: No attack against civilians will be tolerated and all
those suspected of committing war crimes and other serious human
rights violations and abuses will be brought to
justice."<END QUOTE>
La Libre (Belgium) (Translation) and Premier (UK) and Amnesty International
****
**** Central African Republic crisis civil war continues
****
Despite Amnesty International's laughable rhetoric, "No attack against
civilians will be tolerated," CAR is in a generational crisis civil
war, and there's no end in sight.
The CAR sectarian war began in March 2013, when François Bozizé, the
Christian former president of CAR, was ousted in a coup in March 2013
by Michel Djotodia, a Muslim, who became president and served until
January 2014.
After Djotodia's coup took place in March 2013, Muslim Seleka militias
began committing atrocities, particularly targeting the Christian
constituencies of the deposed François Bozizé. In December 2013,
French Foreign Legion peacekeeping troops arrived to disarm the Seleka
militias.
The peacekeepers succeeded, but then the Christian anti-balaka
militias "rushed into the vacuum," and began committing atrocities in
2014, for revenge against the Selekas. Since then, both Christians
and Muslims have been committing atrocities, and it's become a
full-scale generational crisis war. Thousands have been killed, and
millions have been displaced.
Although the CAR war appears to be entirely sectarian, that isn't
entirely true. The Muslims are mostly herders, while the Christians
are mostly farmers, and this is the same kind of conflict between
herders and farmers that I've described in Central African Republic,
Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan, Nigeria, and even America
in the 1800s. As population grows, the farmers accuse the herders of
letting the cattle eat their crops, while the herders accuse the
farmers of planting on land that's meant for grazing. If the farmers
put up fences, then the herders knock them down. In CAR, there have
been situations where Muslim and Christian farmers were united in
fighting Muslim herders.
As I've explained in the past, CAR's last generational crisis war was
the 1928-1931 Kongo-Wara Rebellion ("War of the Hoe Handle"), which
was a very long time ago, putting CAR today deep into a generational
Crisis era, where a new crisis war is increasingly likely. ( "2-Oct-15 World View -- Violence resurges in Central African Republic crisis war"
)
Related Articles:
- UN Human Rights chief warns of 'genocide' and 'ethnic cleansing' in Central African Republic (11-Aug-2017)
- Central African Republic war morphs from religious to ethnic war (01-Mar-2017)
- New armed militia emerges in Central African Republic: Return, Reclamation, Rehabilitation (3R) (06-Jan-2017)
- Pope Francis to visit Central African Republic in middle of civil war (28-Nov-2015)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Central African Republic, CAR, Bangui,
PK5, Pope Francis, MINUSCA,
United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission,
self-defense groups, The Force,
Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Mervyn Thomas,
François Bozizé, Michel Djotodia,
Kongo-Wara Rebellion, War of the Hoe Handle
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
