C. African city calm after deadly Sunday clashes

BANGUI 

A state of cautious calm prevailed Tuesday in Grimari, a city in the troubled Central African Republic, two days after violent clashes between French troops and Christian militiamen left five people dead.

"Since the start of the day, things have returned to calm," Sylvain Songo, a parish priest in Grimari, told Anadolu Agency by phone.

On Sunday, Christian anti-balaka militiamen attacked the city's predominantly-Muslim La Bamba neighborhood, where they carried out executions and engaged in acts of vandalism, eyewitnesses said.

When spotted by French helicopters, four militiamen took refuge in a house from which they traded fire with French troops on the ground. The confrontation resulted in the death of five people, witnesses said.

Local residents said at least two of those killed in the violence were not anti-balaka militants.

According to Songo, the anti-balaka militants had used the owner of the house as a human shield, "so he was killed by fire from the French forces."

The deaths sparked outrage among Grimari residents, who erected barricades around the city on Monday to prevent French forces from patrolling the area.

While Songo described the incident as "unfortunate," he nevertheless said French troops were doing "good work" as peacekeepers, "protecting Christians and Muslims alike."

The French operation command, however, asserted that the five people killed had been armed and had fired on its forces.

Since April 15, Grimari has witnessed sporadic clashes between anti-balaka militias and seleka rebels, said to be mostly Muslim. The violence has come despite the deployment of French troops in the city, from which most of the local population has since fled.

The mineral-rich central African country descended into anarchy one year ago when seleka rebels ousted 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.

Along with French troops, there are also some 6000 African peacekeeping troops tasked with ending the sectarian violence currently deployed in the country.

By Sylvestre Krock

englishnews@aa.com.tr