Central African Seleka militia denies Boko Haram links

BANGUI 

An ex-seleka militia general in Central African Republic on Sunday denied any links between his movement and the Nigeria-based militant Boko Haram group, describing the drawing of links between the two movements as a "dangerous game."

"The seleka doesn't joke when it comes to the security of the Central African Republic," General Mohamed Moussa Dhaffane told Anadolu Agency in an interview.

"This is a dangerous game played by ill-intentioned people who have the mean objective of linking the seleka with foreign extremists," he added.

Boko Haram focus the bulk of their activities in Nigeria. But recently, the movement said it would begin operating in the Central Africa Republic (CAR) to defend its co-religionists there from attacks by Christian mobs and militias.

CAR descended into anarchy one year ago when seleka rebels removed Francois Bozize, a Christian who had come to power in a 2003 coup. The rebels later installed Michel Djotodia, a Muslim, as interim president.

Since then, the country has been plagued by tit-for-tat sectarian violence between Christian anti-balaka militias and Muslim former seleka fighters.

Anti-Muslim violence has escalated since Catherine Samba-Panza, a Christian, was elected interim president in January.

Christians, who account for the majority of the country's population, accuse Muslims of supporting former seleka rebels blamed for attacking Christian homes, looting property and carrying out summary executions.

According to Dhaffane, attempts to link the seleka militia with Nigeria's Boko Haram aim to drive home the religious dimension of the conflict in CAR while marginalizing the country's Muslim community.

Former president Francois Bozize, he asserted, who was ousted by Michel Djotodia in March of last year, had sown the seeds for this marginalization.

"The seleka are not a tool for Islamizing Central Africa," General Dhaffane said. "President Bozize planned this chaos a long time ago."

Dhaffane, the seleka militia's third-in-command, is one of few militia leaders to remain in Central African capital Bangui.

He accused other forces of attempting to destroy Central Africa's social fabric with the use of what he described as "sectarian propaganda" or by claiming links between his movement and Nigeria's Boko Haram.

"The people behind this propaganda don't believe Central African Muslims have any civil rights," Dhaffane said.

He said repeated attacks on Muslims had made some international parties – including the African-led International Support Mission to Central Africa (MISCA) and a French peacekeeping contingent – change their view of the conflict.

According to Dhaffane, these parties used to see the seleka as an enemy that should be eradicated.

"But now they know who's behind this chaos," he said.

Now, MISCA describes the Christian anti-balaka militia as enemies of peace and the Central African people.

Dhaffane said the change of attitude on MISCA's part had come despite the fact that the latter had come to the country with what he called "ill intentions" – while portraying itself as a keeper of the peace.

For things to calm down, he said, the Ndjamena Accord must be implemented as part of a general roadmap.

This roadmap, he added, should also include free elections that would usher in a democratically-elected president, restore security, reinstate government institutions, end violence by the anti-balaka, and devise an economic program for the whole of Central Africa.

The Ndjamena Accord was signed in 2014 during an extraordinary summit of the Economic Community of Central African States.

The accord called for the seleka to abdicate the Central African presidency in return for leading the government. Yet despite this clause, Andre Nzapayeke, a Christian, was recently appointed prime minister.

By Abdoulaye Adoum

englishnews@aa.com.tr