34 INJURED IN CENTRAL AFRICAN MOSQUE ATTACK

Bangui, 10 Ramadan 1435/8 July 2014 (MINA) – Thirty-four people were injured, including four critically, in a Monday hand grenade attack on a mosque in the town of Paoua in western Central African Republic, local media has said.

A group of militants threw a hand grenade at Muslims worshippers in the mosque, local newspaper La Nouvelle Centrafrique based in Bangui capital reported, Anadolu Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).

The Central African Republic descended into anarchy last year when predominantly Muslim Seleka armed oppsition ousted then-president Francois Bozize, a Christian who had come to power in a 2003 coup. The rebels later installed Michel Djotodia, a Muslim, as an interim president.

Since then, the country has been plagued by tit-for-tat sectarian violence between Christian anti-balaka militias and Muslim former Seleka fighters.

Christians, who account for the majority of the country’s population, accuse Muslims of supporting the former Seleka rebels who are blamed for attacking Christian homes, looting property and carrying out summary executions.

The country’s Muslim minority, meanwhile, has been frequently targeted by Christian militias. (T/P09/E01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)