When the Seleka, a group of mostly Muslim rebels, led a successful coup in the Central African Republic in March 2013, one of the world’s poorest countries was plunged into turmoil as Christian militias targeted the nation’s minority Muslim population in what amounts to genocide.
The Seleka were ousted from power in January 2014, and the country has since been embroiled in a civil war between the Seleka and an armed coalition called the Anti-Balaka.
While the entire civilian population has suffered enormously throughout the conflicts in the Central African Republic, perhaps no group has suffered more than the country’s Muslim minority.
For those who have heard about this ongoing but largely overlooked atrocity, many can credit the work of Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch. In March of last year, he wrote about what he called the growing “nightmare for Muslims” in the Central African Republic. He reported on the vicious revenge enacted by the Anti-Balaka Christian militia against Muslim civilians. Thousands were killed, and many thousands more fled the country.
