Muslim communities are threatened in many towns in Central African Republic, and are forced to leave the country, the international medical-humanitarian organization, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), said on Friday.
Over the past weeks the extreme violence in the Central African Republic has reached intolerable and unprecedented levels, the medical charity said on its website.
The whole civilian population is trapped within extreme polarized violence, and each day, civilians are paying the price of abuses committed by the two main armed groups - the ex-Seleka and the opposing anti-Balaka, according to MSF.
Although the conflict is complex and all communities are affected by the violence, one of the latest developments is taking place in the form of collective reprisals against the minority Muslim community. In many towns, Muslim groups are currently isolated and threatened by anti-Balaka forces while tens of thousands have already left the country into exile in Chad or Cameroon.
Martine Flokstra, MSF's emergency coordinator, said the group's volunteers are currently witnessing a direct retaliation against the Muslim minority in the northwest and in Bangui. "We are concerned about the fate of these communities trapped in their villages, surrounded by Anti-Balaka groups and also about the fact that many Muslim families are being forced into exile to survive," he added.
In Bangui, fighting and looting continues unabated. In January alone, MSF said it treated over 1650 wounded patients from both communities as a direct result of the violence.
Fighting in the northwestern towns of Bouca, Bossangoa, Carnot, Berberati and Baoro has forced the Muslim population to leave.
The majority Christian population also remains affected and thousands are still living in panic. The conflict has caused massive displacement and hundreds of thousands of people are currently seeking refuge at religious centers in towns or at the airport in Bangui living in appalling conditions, too scared to return to their homes.
"The effect of the violence on the entire civilian population has reached shocking levels,"according to Flokstra. "The indiscriminate and seemingly unstoppable violence has continued to reach new heights over the last months. Past actions and current efforts are insufficient in the face of the ongoing crisis," he added.
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