ICNA Denounces Ethnic Cleansing in the C.A.R.

 
-—FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—-
 
NEW YORK, NY (February 13, 2014) – The Islamic Circle of North America severely condemns the ethnic cleansing of Muslims by the anti-balaka (anti-machete) fighters in the Central African Republic.

The minority population is the relentless target of mob killings and lynching. The severe wave of violence has forced nearly 50,000 to flee to neighboring countries such as Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“If the targeted violence continues, there will be no Muslims left in much of the Central African Republic,” says Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch. “People whose families have peacefully lived in the country for centuries are being forced to leave”.
Joanne Mariner, a senior crisis response adviser for Amnesty International, is calling it a “Muslim exodus of historic proportions”.
ICNA calls upon the United Nations and international peacekeeping forces to protect the Muslim minority from the attacks of the militias and allied residents.
“This attack on civilians is despicable,” says Naeem Baig. “The international community must step in to stop the atrocities.”