C. Africa Disarmament Operation Sparks Clashes, 11 Dead
At least 11 people were killed and 35 injured in clashes that erupted when the new Central African Republic government tried to disarm supporters of ousted leader Francois Bozize, hospital sources said Wednesday.
Six bodies were taken to the Amitie hospital in the capital Bangui and five to another community hospital, the sources told Agence France Presse.
Fourteen people were admitted to Amitie with injuries, and 21 to the community hospital, some of whom were in a serious condition.
The disarmament operation took place in the Bangui neighborhoods of Boy-Rabe and Boeing, near the airport, a military source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"There was small and heavy arms fire unleashed by former Seleka fighters. There were clashes in some places, but it is difficult to assess what happened," the source said.
Boy-Rabe is considered a stronghold for supporters of Francois Bozize, the president who was overthrown on March 24 by rebel coalition Seleka, led by Michel Djotodia, who last Sunday was inaugurated as the country's new president. Bozize is currently in France.
Bangui prosecutor Alain Tolmo confirmed that 28 armed men had been detained by Djotodia's Seleka fighters as part of a "fight against impunity".
Witnesses said armed men looted freezers, electronics, cars and even mattresses during the operation.
Security Minister General Nouradine Adam and other top defense and security officials met Monday with leaders of the Boy-Rabe neighborhood to order them to name those who were in possession of weapons.
In April, a similar operation in Boy-Rabe and in neighboring Kassin by the forces of the new regime left 20 people dead.
Since the collapse of the Bozize regime, the country has lived in a "permanent climate of fear", according to the United Nations.
An African peacekeeping force has begun deploying in the capital Bangui, but no peacekeepers in the force that will eventually number 2,500 soldiers and 1,000 police officers are stationed outside of the capital.
A U.N. report said that Djotodia's Seleka fighters, many of whom have not been paid in months, were to blame for much of the chaos and that the group's hierarchy is doing little to stop them.
It listed "arbitrary arrests and detention, sexual violence against women and children, torture, rape, targeted killings, recruitment of child soldiers and attacks, committed by uncontrolled Seleka elements and unidentified armed groups throughout the country."
Source: Agence France Presse
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