Rival CAR groups strike ceasefire pact
Iran Press TV
Mon Jan 13, 2014 4:43PM GMT
Rival militiamen have embraced each other and struck a truce in the Central African Republic's capital, Bangui, a day before talks begin for replacing President Michel Djotodia who stepped down on Friday.
Central African Chief of Staff General Ferdinand Bomboyeke confirmed on Sunday witness accounts of a ceasefire between members of the Seleka rebel movement and the Christian militiamen in the Bangui neighborhood of Bimbo.
Captain Souleyman Daouda of the Seleka movement told reporters "we reached a ceasefire" with the Christian militiamen in the area.
"There were negotiations all night. Early this morning we met. We told each other that we had no reason to fight since Djotodia is gone. We await instructions from the future authorities," he added.
Moreover, Christian militia-member Davy Louis Parfait said of the meeting, "We talked about how to make it work, asking ourselves why we were killing each other. Myself, I killed some Seleka rebels. But it was amazing, the atmosphere."
The truce followed deadly weekend violence including reports of attacks on mosques and looting against Muslim-owned shops and houses in the capital, Bangui.
The African nation plunged into a deadly unrest in March 2013, when Christian militias launched an attack on the capital.
The United Nations has already warned of a potential sectarian genocide in the African country.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says nearly one million people have been displaced due to the ongoing violence plaguing the CAR.
GMA/SS
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