BANGUI, Central African Republic (AFP) – A mob in Bangui has killed seven unarmed Seleka ex-rebels, the army said Tuesday, as anger over looting blamed on the Central African Republic’s new rulers continued to boil over.
“Seven Seleka members who had been disarmed by military police were killed and five wounded on Monday evening and Tuesday morning in Boy-Rabe by armed men and civilians,” General Ousman Mahamat told reporters.
The Seleka fighters had been deliberately disarmed by the army to try and calm things down in the northern Boy-Rabe neighbourhood — the scene of repeated pillaging and violence, Mahamat said.
Nearly 20 people were killed in clashes between residents and Seleka ex-rebel fighters in the capital over the weekend. Seleka seized control of the city in a coup last month, ousting former president Francois Bozize.