As the UN warns of an anti-Muslim genocide in the Central African Republic, anger is rising against French troops for failing to rein in attacks on Muslims, Press TV reports.
French and African peacekeepers are on the ground, but they have been unable to stop the violence and even in some occasions are accused of killing Muslims.
Many believe the French troops, known as the Sangaris, target Muslims and turn a blind eye on Christian militia; an accusation Paris rejects.
This comes as the United Nations has repeatedly warned of a potential genocide in the war-ravaged African country.
Meanwhile, muslim communities which haven't already fled the country face daily attacks by Christian militias.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres has recently said most Muslims had been driven out of the CAR’s western half, while thousands are at risk of being killed there.
UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos said almost all of more than 100,000 Muslims once residing in the Central African Republic’s (CAR) capital, Bangui, have fled the violence perpetrated by Christian militias.
The Central African Republic has been facing deadly violence since December 2013, when Christian armed groups launched coordinated attacks against the mostly Muslim Seleka group that toppled the government in March 2013.
So far, thousands of people are believed to have been killed and more than one million displaced.
Some 2,000 French troops, supported by a 6,000-strong African Union force known as MISCA, are currently deployed to the Central African Republic. The foreign forces have so far failed to curb the violence.
On February 25, French lawmakers approved the extension of France’s military intervention in the Central African Republic beyond April.
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