Protests erupted in the Central African Republic’s capital, Bangui, after a coalition of civil society groups took to the streets to demand the withdrawal of the United Nations’ peacekeepers from the country.
The Working Group of the Civil Society on the Central African Republic reportedly called upon Bangui residents to boycott their workplaces to demand the withdrawal of the troops from the country.
Crowds carrying anti-UN posters gathered in the capital, shouting at the troops, and are also reported to have started throwing stones at them before they responded with warning shots.
The rights groups say MINUSCA is supposed to protect civilians and reduce the number of armed groups in the city, but there are “more killings” in areas where troops are deployed.
Criticism of the 13,000-strong force has been lingering for some time now, with locals accusing the peacekeepers of not doing enough to protect them.
Most residents in the city of 1 million people heeded the call not to go work on Monday and many shops were shut and taxis were in short supply.
The Central African Republic is recovering from a civil war which broke out in 2013 when then-President Francois Bozize was ousted by rebels.
