06.May

F dS, Y

Ethnic cleansing in the CAR

EDITOR:

The New York Times editorial today reports that sectarian violence between Christians and Muslims in the Central African Republic has erupted into a campaign of ethnic cleansing of Muslims from Bangui and the southern part of CAR.

The United Nations Security Council has made authorised major support for the area, sending 10,000 peacekeeping soldiers and 1,800 police officers, however this mission is not scheduled to commence until September 15. The editorial argues that by then it will be too late to stem the division, and that millions of people may have been killed by then.

600,000 people have already left their homes, with the UN estimating that by the end of 2014 more than 360,000 people will have fled to neighbouring countries without the means to accommodate them.

With crops left unplanted and infrastructure abandoned, the UN has also warned that, at this rate, more children will die in CAR from poverty than from the violence itself.

(Photo: Getty Images)