Hospital trauma centres in the Central African Republic’s capital are straining following the worst outbreak of violence in years in the country that has left at least 135 people injured, aid agencies said on Friday.
The clashes this week also left at least 21 others dead following the battle between UN peacekeepers and local security against armed groups in Bangui’s PK5 neighborhood – – a Muslim enclave of the majority Christian city – over three days, a local official said.
According to medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) 83 people have been treated since the weekend at a hospital and a health centre, while the Red Cross reported of 52 injured people who had arrived at another hospital.
It is the worst violence seen in the capital since 2015, said MSF’s operational manager William Hennequin.
“We are worried to see such level of violence and the impact it could have outside Bangui,” he told the Reuters news agency.
He added that there might be more injured in the PK5 neighbourhood, though it is currently calm.
“We are watching and preparing in case we have to treat more wounded.”
Since the ousting of former president by rebels in 2013, the country has been gripped by conflict, sparking reprisals from rival militias. However, fighting rarely breaks out in the capital.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it was ready to put up tents if needed outside Bangui’s Community Hospital, where the trauma unit and casualty ward are full.
According to the ICRC spokeswoman Jessica Berry, the wounded included fighters as well as civilians who were hit by stray bullets.
On Wednesday, hundreds of angry protesters laid bodies of at least 16 people in front of the headquarters of the peacekeeping mission accusing the UN troops of firing at civilians during their operation in PK5.
The head of U.N. peacekeeping said civilians killed were young people who had been “manipulated” and armed by criminal gangs to confront the peacekeepers and Central African Republic forces.
