By Cara Anna, Associated Press, Jan. 22, 2014
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. chief’s special adviser on genocide prevention is warning of a ‘‘high risk of crimes against humanity and of genocide’’ in the Central African Republic.
Adama Dieng and other U.N. officials briefed the Security Council on Wednesday on the continuing and unprecedented violence between Christians and Muslims in one of the world’s poorest countries.
They spoke of children being beheaded, entire villages burned and a complete breakdown of law and order, and they urged the deployment of more peacekeepers as soon as possible [....]
‘‘The level of hatred between these communities shocked me,’’ Dieng said, listing widespread reports of summary executions, mutilation and sexual violence among the ‘‘widespread and massive’’ human rights violations. Restoring peace will be difficult ‘‘without addressing the current culture of impunity,’’ he added.
The U.N. officials welcomed the approval by European Union foreign ministers this week of a potential joint military force of about 500 troops to assist the roughly 1,600 French troops and about 4,600 African troops trying to restore order [....]
Also see:
Central African Republic: "The violence is relentless" in Bangui
Medecins sans Frontieres, 21 Jan., 2014
Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, has been in the grip of violence for weeks but most of the city’s hospitals are no longer functioning. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) project coordinator Jessie Gaffric describes the situation. She is managing MSF's operations in the city’s only trauma unit, located in the Community Hospital. Since fighting began in Bangui on December 5, MSF teams have treated more than 800 patients there. Most have suffered bullet or knife wounds [....]