Grenade launched in CAR

(Vatican Radio) Insecurity continues to escalate in the Central African Republic (CAR), when 11 Christians were killed and 14 wounded in a grenade explosion late Thursday evening. The grenade was thrown at a group of mourners during a funeral in the Christian district in Bangui, the most recent violence between feuding factions within the country.

CAR has been in an ever escalating turmoil since the Muslim government stepped down from power in January due to international pressures. Since then, the militia group, known as “anti Balaka” has sought to drive them from the country.

Volker Turk, speaking on behalf of UN refugee service, expressed little possibility of improvement:

“The amount of fear and trauma that is within the communities is extremely high. Fear of course is being used. I think there is a very strong fear factor especially with the traumatized population that exist. The government is absolutely overwhelmed and has no capacity. I think we should not have any illusion that we are confronted here with any functioning state structure”, he said.

Thus far, 2,000 French troops and 6,000 of the African union peacekeeping mission have entered the Central African Republic in hopes to stabilize the situation. They have asked that the UN Security Council mobilize 12,000 peacekeepers in the region in order to facilitate the process.

March has been particularly difficult for the country. Some 200,000 people have been internally displaced since March 12 while the UN reports that some 300,000 have fled to Chad, Cameroon, and Ethiopia since the plight began.

Listen to the report by Andrew Summerson: