Bossemptélé massacre

On 17 January 2014 Séléka fighters withdrew from Bossemptele. With international forces largely absent, the next day Anti-balaka fighters attacked the city. Few armed Muslims and Séléka fighters who remained in the city tried to resist but were defeated. Anti-balaka then attacked Muslim civilians killing some of them. Some Muslims fled the city, while some took refugee at local Catholic mission. According to Amnesty International more than 100 civilians were killed during this massacre, including 70-year old imam. Most victims were adult men, but also included women, children and elders. Two days later four Muslim women were killed by anti-Balaka fighters. Local religious officials tried to contact international forces to secure city for two weeks with no response.[1]

On 1 March 2014 African peacekeepers evacuated 190 people from Bossemptélé, but 65 people were left behind including women, children and people with disabilities who were unable to climb onto the trucks.[2] In April French forces came to the town and Anti-balaka fighters dismantled their checkpointes and returned to local villages.[3]