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2 Moroccan peacekeepers killed in Central Africa armed attack

Xinhua, January 5, 2017 Adjust font size:

Two Moroccan peacekeepers were killed and another was injured in an armed attack against their convoy in Central African Republic (CAR), local media reported on Wednesday.

The Moroccan contingent of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) was attacked on Tuesday near the town of Bria, northeast of CAR's capital Bangui, said the Moroccan news site le360.ma.

MINUSCA confirmed that the convoy was heading to the city when unknown insurgents attacked them, killed two peacekeepers and escaped into the bush.

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in CAR condemned the attack Wednesday, saying "no claim can justify that individuals direct their grievances against peacekeepers whose presence has no other objective than to help the country to end this cycle of violence."

Every effort will be made to track down those responsible and bring them to justice, said Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, head of MINUSCA, in a statement, adding that an attack on a peacekeeper may constitute a war crime.

Despite significant progress and successful elections, CAR has remained in the grip of instability and sporadic unrest.

Clashes between the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel coalition and anti-Balaka militia, mostly Christian, plunged the country of 4.5 million people into civil conflict in 2013.

In December 2016, the mission supported a new dialogue between 11 of the 14 armed groups, as part of an ongoing effort to disarm the factions. Endit