She said U.N. peacekeepers had failed to halt violence and called on
the United Nations and International Criminal Court to sanction
political leaders behind the unrest.
Hundreds march in Central African Republic insupport of army
(Dw)
Hundreds of people marched through the capital of Central African Republic
on Wednesday, including members of the country's transitional council,
to press for the national army to be rearmed, a Reuters witness said.
The march was guarded by security forces and U.N. peacekeepers and is the latest sign of pressure for the restoration of the army, which was sidelined when mainly Muslim rebels from the Seleka group took power in 2013.
Interim President Catherine Samba-Panza
appealed to the U.N. mission (MINUSCA) on Monday to return weapons
confiscated from the army to allow it to help keep the peace. She became
president in Jan. 2014 when the Seleka left power under international
pressure.
She said U.N. peacekeepers had failed to halt violence and called on the United Nations and International Criminal Court to sanction political leaders behind the unrest.
Around
90 people have been killed in the capital since late September in
attacks on civilians by mainly Muslim and mainly Christian militia
groups. The unrest contributed to a decision by authorities to delay
presidential and parliamentary elections to Dec. 13 and they may be
pushed back again if the violence persists.
The violence has caused Pope Francis to hint that a trip to Bangui he planned for Nov. 28-29 could be cancelled.
The
majority Christian country plunged into chaos when the Seleka seized
power, prompting reprisals by mainly Christian militias called the
anti-balaka. The national army was disarmed after soldiers were accused
of participating in anti-balaka violence.
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