Armed Men in Central African Republic Shoot 13 Dead, Wound 2

Armed Men in Central African Republic Shoot 13 Dead, Wounds 2 — Armed men have shot 13 people dead and wounded two more at a village near the CAR-Chad border Tuesday, officials said. BARBARA DEBOUT/AFP via Getty Images

Armed men in the Central African Republic (CAR) have killed 13 people and wounded another two in a village in the country's mineral-rich north, local officials said Wednesday (August 2).

Diki village tribal chief Ousmane Youssef said a group of armed men entered the community Tuesday (August 1) and called a meeting with local residents and leaders before shooting them point-blank.

The village of Diki lies near the CAR's border with Chad, the Associated Press reported.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the United Nations (UN) condemned a separate attack on another northern town by a rebel group called the Coalition of Patriots for Change, a cohort of Christian- and Muslim-majority rebel groups operating along the border between CAR and Chad.

"We don't know the real motives of the rebels who perpetrated this act of rare intensity," said Babikir Hallasan, deputy mayor of the nearest major town. "This is the moment when the government must help us put an end to the rebels who are undermining security in the area."

Meanwhile, Sultan Ibrahim Kamoun Senoussi, a local traditional and government leader, said the assailants have not been identified, but local armed forces have been ordered to pursue them.

Fighting From Within a Common Problem

The CAR has faced intercommunal fighting since 2013 when predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power and forced then-President Francois Bozize from office. In response, Christian-majority militias later fought back but also targeted civilians in the streets.

The UN, which has a peacekeeping mission in the country, estimated the fighting has killed thousands and displaced over a million people, or a fifth of the country's population.

In March, the UN condemned the attack on a northern town, which left nine Chinese nationals working in a gold mine dead.

The mass shooting at Diki followed the CAR's national referendum which could see the adoption of a new constitution that strengthened executive powers and would allow current President Faustin-Archange Touadéra to run for a third term.

Rebel groups, including the CPC, have boycotted the referendum and threatened violence against voters across the country.