Fight for the Central African Republic

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The Central African Republic has gone through five coups and numerous rebellions since it declared independence from France in 1960. This, along with conflicts from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Chad has continuously crumbled the Central African Republic’s foundation to a pulp. The most recent conflict in the CAR has not had much media attention, but the ethno-political strength of this crisis has grown more and more prevalent over the past year. Is religion the root of the problem? After extensive research from the International Organization for Migration, Patheos, and CNN.com, I will provide an argument on the notion that the religious factions are only part of the problem at hand. First, I will discuss the religious tensions in the state. Second, I will discuss the misdiagnosis of this conflict as genocide, and third, I will end with my own opinions and estimations.
The conflict started back in March of 2013 when CAR Muslim rebel group, also known as the Seleka, seized the government. Since seizing power last year, Seleka’s ten-month reign allowed for mass looting, murder, and extortion. These crimes have attracted many angry Muslims from the south, despite peacekeeper presence. When Seleka was forced to surrender authority under international pressure this January, Christian militias or ‘anti-Balaka’ set about analytically pushing Muslims from the southern regions. Thousands of Muslims in the Central African Republic remain in jeopardy of being killed despite the attendance of international mercenaries. What seemed to be continuous mass murders of thousands this past winter has finally come to a halt for right now, but inter-societal tensions are still viciously terrifying. Slayings, rapes, and other methods of ...

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...is violence seems to be predominantly political and sectarian and makes uses of existing religious differences and rhetoric. What is going on the in Central African Republic is neither a jihad nor a crusade. It is rather a struggle for political power with Bangui as the prize.

Works Cited

Black, Sandra. Fewer Bangui Displaced Plan to Return Home: IOM CAR Return Intention Survey . 6 May 2014. 7 May 2014 .
Muslim vs. Christian in the Central African Republic? 11 Feb 2014. 5 May 2014 .
Watkins, Tom. Humanitarian groups: Don't let CAR devolve into genocide. 1 May 2014. 5 May 2014 .

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