Amnesty says Central African Republic has faced ‘horrific surge’ in violence

‘Amnesty International says the Central African Republic (CAR) has witnessed a “horrific surge” in violence that is now clearly along sectarian lines.
Rebels in a volatile region of the country are raping women and killing their male relatives, Amnesty said in a report on Friday.
The report cited accounts by survivors in the eastern prefecture of Basse-Kotto, where a rebel group known as the UPC, an offshoot of the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel alliance, has been responsible for a series attacks.
Joanne Mariner, the senior crisis response adviser at Amnesty, said civilians “are direct targets” in the conflict, condemning the performance of the UN peacekeeping force in protecting them. “If the UN’s mandate in the Central African Republic is to mean anything, civilians must be better protected,” she said.’
Read more: Amnesty says Central African Republic has faced ‘horrific surge’ in violence