Gunmen murdered a politician outside his house in Central African Republic’s capital overnight, officials said, in a blow to the new president’s efforts to restore order in the divided nation. No group claimed responsibility for killing Jean-Emmanuel Djarawa a day after he made a speech denouncing recent violence and calling for Christian militias to be confined to barracks.
Central African Republic descended into chaos after mostly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in March last year and embarked on a 10-month reign of terror marked by looting, torture and murder.
Since the departure of Seleka head and interim President Michel Djotodia in January under international pressure, Christian militias have stepped up revenge attacks against Muslims. Violence has killed thousands and left about a quarter of Bangui’s population homeless.
Former colonial ruler France has sent in troops to bolster regional peacekeepers, amid fears the violence could spread over the borders of the impoverished country in the heart of Africa.
Attackers followed Djarawa, a Christian representative for eastern Haute-Kotto province, and shot him several times near his house in northern Bangui on Sunday night, said government officials.
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