UN chief condemns C. Africa attacks

UNITED NATIONS – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has strongly condemned recent attacks in the Central African Republic, including at a church in the capital Bangui, his spokesman said Thursday, May 29.

Ban encouraged the transitional authority to do “everything within its means to prevent further violence in the capital and throughout the country,” said Stephane Dujarric.

He also called on authorities to take “concrete measures to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.”

The UN chief appealed to international forces in the Central African Republic “to take all necessary measures in support of these efforts,” Dujarric added.

Ban also encourages Central African Republic’s leaders and partners to work with peacekeepers towards meaningful dialogue “to chart a sustainable path to peace,” he said.

A military source on the ground said at least 15 people, including a priest, were killed and several others wounded in clashes in Bangui on Wednesday, May 28.

The violence erupted close to the Our Lady of Fatima church in the center where thousands of displaced people have sought refuge, according to police and military sources.

The deeply impoverished, majority Christian country has been wracked by relentless tit-for-tat attacks between Christian vigilante groups and the mainly Muslim ex-Seleka rebels who seized power in a coup which ended in January. – Rappler.com