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Death Toll Rises in Central African Republic Clashes
[An Nahar] Twelve people were killed in fierce festivities over the weekend between vigilante groups and former rebels in the western Central African town of Bouar, according to a military source Sunday.The updated corpse count came after militias armed with machetes encircled Bouar, a town some 400 kilometers (250 miles) northwest of the capital Bangui on Saturday morning, the same source said on condition of anonymity. They were later confronted by troops from the Central African Republic, formerly members of the Seleka rebel group, now integrated into the country's regular armed forces. The troops were able to seize back control of the town. The latest reports showed that "12 people died, seven from the vigilante groups and five from the ranks of former Seleka members, with several injured on both sides", said the source. Previous reports said that four people had been killed in Saturday's fighting. Some calm had returned to the town by Sunday, and there was no exchange of gunfire reported as government forces tried to reassure those residents remaining in Bouar, a town of 40,000 people. Up to 6,000 people had sought refuge in a church in the town during fighting on Saturday and many were still inside the sanctuary on Sunday, where food was increasingly scarce, the church abbot said. Maxime Lalai, a local resident who spoke to Agence La Belle France Presse by telephone, said the attackers had "surrounded the town" on Saturday trapping those residents who were unable to flee beforehand. Posted by: Fred 2013-10-28 |
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