Hundreds of prisoners escaped from a Bangui prison early this week amidst rising communal violence in the capital of Central African Republic (CAR). Witnesses in Bangui said as many as 500 prisoners escaped from Ngaraba prison on Monday. "There is no one in the prison," a source said, according to Guardian.
Clashes between Christian militia and Muslim groups erupted in Bangui after death of a Muslim taxi driver on Saturday, reported BBC.
More than 40 people were killed and hundreds others wounded in the communal clashes, the worst violence in 2015. Some 27,000 Bangui residents have also fled to displaced people's camps due to the tense situation, reported All Africa.
Interim President Catherine Samba-Panza abruptly ended her trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York and returned to her country due to increasing violence, reported Reuters.
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon called for an immediate end to the clashes in the Central African Republic.
"The Secretary-General strongly condemns all acts of violence and calls for an immediate end to the unacceptable violence and retaliatory attacks. He urges the Central African Republic's Transitional Authority to do everything within its means to prevent further violence," a statement issued by his spokesperson said.
Amnesty International demanded immediate action and enhancement of U.N. peacekeepers' capacity to control the the situation in CAR capital.
"The deadly violence in the capital illustrates that CAR remains in a very fragile state and that immediate action must be taken to enhance the capacity of U.N. peacekeepers to detect and respond effectively to such incidents before escalation of attacks on civilians," said Alioune Tine, Amnesty International regional director for West and Central Africa, according to Associated Press.
