African Troops Fire on C Africa Protesters, 1 Dead

Local Editor

Central African Union troops early on Monday fired on demonstrators protesting against the president of the strife-torn Central African Republic, killing at least one person.

Several hundred demonstrators crowded at the entrance to the airport in Bangui, calling for the departure of President Michel Djotodia, who became the first leader of the majority Christian nation after a March coup that unleashed waves of violence in the country.

Two 4X4 vehicles with AU troops charged toward the protesters, shooting in the air and toward the crowd. At least one person was killed and another wounded.
French troops quickly intervened to evacuate the victims.
Many in Bangui accuse Chad, whose President Idriss Deby Itno has been the perennial kingmaker in the Central African Republic, of masterminding the Seleka rebellion that led the March coup.

While Chadian troops are only one component of the 3,700-strong MISCA, African commanders admit that they have been following their own agenda.
Djotodia was the leader of the Seleka coalition and although he disbanded the group after the coup, some members went rogue.

France has deployed 1,600 soldiers to its former colony alongside the MISCA force.
On Sunday several thousand Muslim supporters of Seleka protested in Bangui against French troops, a demonstration that swelled after three ex-Seleka fighters were reported killed in clashes with French soldiers.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team