Twenty-six civilians were killed on Tuesday (May 21st) by an armed group that attacked two villages in northwestern Central African Republic, the head of the local UN mission (Minusca) said.
This is the largest massacre in the country since the signing on 6 February of a peace agreement between the government and 14 armed groups.
The Vatican said on Tuesday that a nun had also been found dead in a village in the western diocese of Berberati.
"The Minusca condemns with the utmost energy the killings occurred in the villages of Koundjili and Djoumjoum, with more than 26 dead and many wounded," wrote on Twitter the representative of the UN Secretary-General in the Central African Republic, Mankeur Ndiaye.
The massacre took place in these two villages located about fifty kilometers from Paoua, near the border with Chad.
"On May 21, members of the armed group 3R [Return, Complaint, Reconciliation, Ed] had organized a meeting with residents of the villages of Koundjili and Djoumjoum," said a UN source.
"When the villagers came forward, the elements of 3R reportedly opened fire on them indiscriminately, killing 12 civilians in Koundjili and 14 in Djoumjoum," it added.
Armed groups control 80% of the territory
Group 3R, which claims to protect the Fulani, signed the February peace agreement.
Prepared since 2017 by the African Union, the agreement signed in Khartoum is the eighth since the beginning of the crisis in 2013, marked by the overthrow of President François Bozizé.
None of the previous agreements has led to a return to stability, in a country where armed groups control 80% of the territory and fight for control over natural resources.
Nearly a quarter of CAR's 4.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes.
With AFP