Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Bangui (Agenzia Fides) - "The Chadian and Central African religious communities living in Bangui reaffirmed their will to live together in peaceful coexistence and to overcome the violent episode in recent days," local Church sources tell Fides from Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic, where in recent days there were clashes after the lifeless bodies of two children had been found in the car of a citizen from Chad.
"The two children 4 and 5 years of age had been missing for two days," state the sources of Fides. "The citizen from Chad in the past had been convicted of a similar crime but was on the loose. For this reason, when he was stopped, people wanted to take the law in their hands and the lynching started. Popular reaction soon involved the local Chadian communities who have been living here for some time. At this point the Chadian military intervened, present in the Country to protect President François Bozizé ". According to a joint statement from the Ministries of Defense, Chad and Central African, at least 11 people were killed in the clashes, on Tuesday May 31, and Wednesday June 1.
It is possible that the two children killed may have been victims of human trafficking destined to become victims of sacrificial "magic" rites. "For centuries in this country there have been traffickers from other nations who kidnap people and sell them as slaves or use their bodies in rites. But this phenomenon has decreased in the last decades, although not entirely disappeared" , say our sources, stressing however that " among the Central African and Chadian immigrant communities there are good relations. "
"This incident of violence stems from the fact that people believed that the kidnapper of children had escaped from justice once again " state our sources. "The fact that this was a Muslim is an accidental event and does not mean that there is tension between Christians and Muslims, because among the Chadians there are several Christians." (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 06/06/2011)
