Tools in hand, they swiftly dismantled and stole the loudspeaker once used for the call to prayer and soon stripped the house of worship of even its ceiling fan blades. Armed Congolese peacekeepers stood watch but did not fire into the air or attempt to stop the looting. Soon teams of thieves were stripping the metal roofs of nearby abandoned Muslim businesses in the PK12 neighbourhood of Bangui. Pety-Pety, who refused to give his first name, as the mosque came under attack from militants.
Joanne Mariner, a senior crisis adviser for Amnesty International, said the people evacuated Sunday had lived in daily fear for months. They soon began attacking Muslim civilians accused of having collaborated with the much despised rebels.
The rebel leader-turned-president ultimately resigned, and mob killings of Muslims and mutilation of their bodies took place on a near-daily basis in Bangui earlier this year.
Tens of thousands of Muslims were escorted to safety in neighbouring Chad, though earlier convoys were fraught with violence. Militants lined the streets and attacked departing trucks, at one point beating a man to death after he fell from his vehicle. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation says delegates will be in the capital for three days starting Tuesday.
It took hours, though, for the families to load up their wares, from plastic jugs for water to bicycles, and even satellite dishes and chairs. In starting a new life in an unknown city, many said they were bringing anything of value that they could sell there to make money. Tonga Djobo, 75, in a long flowing gown, prayer cap and orthopedic shoes, steadied himself with a stick he used to prod cattle that also doubled as a cane. He said he first came to Central African Republic 47 years ago from neighbouring Chad.
