Central African Republic’s interim president, Catherine Samba-Panza, left the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday to return home due to the worst violence in the capital, two Western diplomats said.
Around 30 people have been killed and over 100 more injured in three days of intercommunal clashes in Bangui, a city secured by UN and French peacekeepers. The violence has sparked fears that Samba-Panza could be overthrown.
“She left (New York) to go back to Central Africa because of the security situation,” a diplomat told Reuters.
Earlier, hundreds of prisoners escaped from the main jail in the capital and UN peacekeepers fired warning shots to disperse thousands of protesters calling for the rearming of the army. At least one person was killed.
“There is no one in the prison,” said a senior gendarmerie source, referring to the Ngaraba jail.
In New York, UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon and the UN Security Council condemned the violence.
“(Ban) strongly condemns all acts of violence and calls for an immediate end to the unacceptable violence and retaliatory attacks,” his press office said. “He urges the Central African Republic’s Transitional Authority to do everything within its means to prevent further violence.”
The Security Council warned in a statement that it remains prepared to blacklist individuals and entities that undermine peace and stability in the country.
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