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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Two deaders in violence during Central Africa vote |
| 2015-12-14 |
| Two people were killed Sunday as heavy-weapons fire and clashes broke out in the Muslim district of the Central African Republic capital marring a referendum on a new constitution aimed at ending years of sectarian strife. An AFP journalist saw the bodies of two people lying in a mosque in Bangui's PK5 Muslim district, while a dozen others were wounded there, in clashes between supporters and opponents of the closely-watched referendum. Fire from heavy machine-guns and rocket launchers raged around a PK5 school where voters were waiting to cast their ballots, prompting UN peacekeepers to move in to protect residents. The vote was seen as a test run for presidential and parliamentary elections due to take place December 27 to end more than two years of conflict between Muslim and Christian militias. The proposed constitution would limit presidential tenure to two terms, fight institutional corruption and crimp the power of armed militias, blamed for years of chaos and terror. If adopted, it would usher in the sixth republic since independence from France in 1960 and mark the 13th political regime -- underlining the chronic instability undermining the country. Some factions of the mainly Muslim Seleka force had threatened to block the vote, as had some "anti-balaka" (anti-machete) Christian and animist militia supporters. Among the latter were backers of ousted president Francois Bozize, whose candidacy for the upcoming presidential election has been rejected by the constitutional court. General Balla Keita, chief of the UN peacekeeping force MINUSCA, vowed to protect voters. The UN representative in Bangui, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, in a statement hailed the "courage" of Central Africans, who "braved every fear and threat" and went to the polls. Voting in other parts of Bangui got under way, albeit a couple of hours late, because staff and voting material were late to arrive. In other parts of the country, several incidents were also reported, said an unnamed source in MINUSCA, sent in to quell fighting that has forced 10 percent of the population to flee the country. Almost two million Central Africans had registered to vote in a population of 4.8 million, a clear sign of the widespread desire to return to a life of peace and normalcy. The international community, which has been pouring aid into the country for over two years, was keen for the referendum as well as the follow-up elections to take place. |
| Posted by:Pappy |