Armed men kidnapped a woman working for the U.N. peacekeeping mission MINUSCA in Central African Republic's capital Bangui on Tuesday, the mission told Reuters.
The abduction came a day after a French charity worker and a churchman were seized in an area of the city controlled by anti-balaka militia fighters. The militia demanded the release of one of its leaders who has been arrested for crimes including murder. "Unidentified armed men kidnapped on Tuesday a woman who works for MINUSCA after having stopped the vehicle in which she was travelling. A similar kidnap attempt failed just a bit earlier," said MINUSCA in a statement. The country sank into chaos when the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel umbrella group seized power in the majority Christian state in March 2013, ousting President Francois Bozize. A backlash from the mostly Christian or animist "anti-balaka" militia led to violence that has killed thousands and displaced around 1 million people.
REUTERS