Future of Central African Republic Muslims imperiled

More than 10,000 people have sought protection in the Don Bosco Center outside Bangui, Central African Republic, fearing reprisal attacks from the Muslim ex-rebels. (Jerome Delay/The Associated Press) [photo]

By KRISTA LARSON:

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) - The mob violence wracking Central African Republic imperils the future of the country's Muslims, with thousands having been slaughtered and many more fleeing the country.
Bangui, the capital, is engulfed in an orgy of bloodshed and looting despite the presence of thousands of French and African peacekeepers.
"We are in a moment where immediate action is needed to stop the killings," Peter Bouckaert of Human Rights Watch told The Associated Press, calling for a full-fledged U.N. peacekeeping mission. "Otherwise the future of the Muslim community of this country will be gone."...The violence against the Muslims is in reaction to abuses perpetrated by the Muslim Seleka rebels during their 10-month rule that began last March. Seleke fighters tied their victims together and threw them off bridges to drown or be eaten by crocodiles, according to witnesses. Now that Seleka's leader Michel Djotodia stepped down from the presidency last month and a precarious civilian interim government is in charge, it is the country's Muslim minority that is now under assault...Read complete article here...