Hate speech unsettles in CAR

(Vatican Radio) Chad’s government decided to withdraw its troops from the Central African Republic (CAR) after what was supposed to be a part of Africa’s peacemaking solution for the country ended with 30 dead and 300 wounded this week at the hands of Chadian troops. The soldiers defended their actions, saying that they were responding to an ambush by the Anti-Bakala militia.

Observers in the streets on Friday responded to their withdrawal with joy, accusing the Chadian troops of siding with the opposed Seleka rebels, who controlled the government until January when they gave way to an interim government after international pressure.

In light of the recent 20^th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, the international community wonders if the factioned dispute could result in another event such as this. Bernard Muna, the Chairperson of the International Commission of Inquiry on the Central African Republic, notes the rise of hate speech in the country:

“What I have noticed which is worse that violence continues. People are killed every day. The second thing I have noticed is that there is a development of hate language. Now this is very interesting because genocide is always started through hate language. When you demean people of other faiths or other religions or other ethnic groups, when you denegrate them, when you give them names, and when you tell your own people that they are not fit to be citizens in your own country, that they should go somewhere else, this is always the beginning of genocide. So I am calling on our brothers in Central Africa to know this and to know that the international community will not stand idly by and watch a genocide being committed in the Central African Republic.”

A long-awaited arrival of 800 European troops are expected at the end of the month to help with stability. Also, the French government has promised to add 450 soldiers to its envoy. Even with the additional troops, the number remains far from the 10,000 peacekeeping troops that the UN secretary general has requested.

Listen to the report by Andrew Summerson: