 Ben Shepherd, Associate Fellow, Africa Programme
Western countries and traditional donors have little stake in the sectarian crisis in the Central African Republic. The country has a capable interim president, but without outside support, the population is unlikely to see a respite in the conflict any time soon.
The crisis in the Central African Republic continues to simmer. Sectarian violence between the Christian majority and Muslim communities intensified during the short-lived rule of the Islamic Seleka rebel coalition in 2013, and has gathered pace since. More than a million people have been displaced. Numerous killings and large-scale massacres have been reported, with many blamed on Christian militias known as ‘anti-Balaka’. Initially organized to protect communities from banditry, they resisted the Seleka and are now seemingly seeking revenge.
The Seleka has since disintegrated. Its leader, Michael Djotodia, resigned his short and ill-starred presidency in January, and foreign fighters – including a substantial number from neighbouring Chad – fled the country. Others are protected by peacekeeping troops. CAR’s remaining Muslim communities feel under acute threat, and there are warnings of widespread ethnic cleansing – even parallels with Rwanda before 1994.
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