C.Africa leader Panza leaves New York early amid tensions at home
United Nations – The interim leader of the Central African Republic, Catherine Samba Panza, left New York and the UN General Assembly on Monday to return home over tensions in Bangui, Western diplomats said.
Samba Panza had been scheduled to remain in New York until the end of the week with a meeting on the Central African Republic scheduled for Thursday, but flew home early because of trouble brewing at home.
Tension and fear gripped the country’s capital Monday, with the city paralyzed by barricades set up at main junctions after a weekend of deadly violence and looting.
A hospital source told AFP that three protesters were killed and seven wounded when United Nations peacekeepers opened fire on a crowd of several hundred heading for the presidency.
The demonstrators had demanded Samba Panza’s resignation after the deaths of at least 20 people in Bangui over the weekend.
The UN peacekeeping force, MINUSCA, denied its troops opened fire on protesters.
This weekend’s violence was sparked by the murder of a motorcycle-taxi driver in central Bangui’s Muslim-majority PK-5 neighborhood.
After the death of the driver, whose throat was allegedly slit, clashes and looting spread to nearby districts.
Although violence has fallen considerably, the country faces persistent insecurity. Presidential and legislative elections are due to take place in principle before the end of the year.
AFP