Hundreds of angry demonstrators on Wednesday laid the bodies of at least nine people killed in clashes in Central African Republic’s capital Bangui in front of the headquarters of the United Nation’s mission.
The demonstration coincides with Jean-Pierre Lacroix’s visit to the country, which has been mired in a cycle of ethnic and religious violence since 2013. Lacroix is the U.N.’s head of peacekeeping operations.
MINUSCA and local security forces launched an operation in PK5 on Sunday aimed at dismantling the bases of armed groups the U.N. said were responsible for extortion and attacks on civilians.
Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which operates one of the main hospitals in Bangui, said it had treated more than 40 people for gunshot wounds on Tuesday.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday condemned the killings and offered his deepest condolences to the bereaved family, as well as to the government of Rwanda, and wished a swift recovery to the injured.
The secretary-general said attacks against UN peacekeepers may constitute a war crime and called on the CAR authorities to investigate them and swiftly bring those responsible to justice, said the statement.
