BLOODY ATTACK: 10 Children Slashed With Machetes in the Central African Republic

 

At least 12 people including children and a pregnant woman, have been killed by Christian vigilantes in the Central African Republic amid rising fears of sectarian massacres in the strife-torn country.

A military source reported on Wednesday that a pregnant woman was disembowelled and 10 children were slashed with machetes in the vicious attack against members of the Peuhl Muslim minority, which took place about 95km north of the capital Bangui.

The attack comes with the UN Security Council set to vote on creating a large peacekeeping force for the impoverished country, where the transitional government has lost control since rebels forced the president to flee in March.
The source revealed that the assailants had been seen not far from the camp and intentionally returned at night to attack the herdsmen, who were there with just knives.
It was made known by the military source that some people managed to escape.
Reportedly there are more than 10 wounded who have been transferred to Bangui.
According to the information provided by a healthcare worker, 10 very young children were hospitalized with machete wounds to the head and limbs.

The father of one of the injured children lost his wife and another child in the attack.
"We regularly see people with machete wounds, but not so many at one time, this has never been seen," a nurse told AFP.

The Peuhl people are traditionally pastoralist, and make up a minority in the impoverished, landlocked nation of 4.5 million people which was plunged into chaos after a March coup by the mostly Muslim Seleka rebels.

Religious undertone
Rebel leader Michel Djotodia has since become the country's first Muslim president, and has formally disbanded the Seleka.

But rights groups say the motley crew of ex-rebels have taken to looting and burning villages across the mineral-rich country of 4.5 million people.

Locals in the majority Christian country have responded by forming vigilante groups known as "anti-balaka" (anti-machete).

They are mostly located in the northeast of the country, where since September, at least 150 people have been murdered and thousands have become victims of violence.

The clashes have taken on a religious undertone, raising fears of sectarian massacres, which could degenerate into genocide.

The Security Council is expected on Thursday to adopt a resolution aimed at stabilizing the situation in the country.