Credit:  Matthieu Alexandre for Caritas International

By Eline Gordts, May 6, 2014, Huffingtonpost.com

Last Wednesday, 120 European Union peacekeepers arrived in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic. They took up positions at the city's airport, where French soldiers had guaranteed security up until now. Lining the airstrip were hundreds of cardboard shacks and tarpaulins; the homes of thousands of civilians who had flocked to the foreign base in the hope of escaping the brutal violence that has rocked the CAR in recent months.

Events that occurred just ahead of the handover in Bangui made it painstakingly clear why the refugees were fleeing. Hours before the Europeans' arrival, four people had been murdered in the streets of the capital. One Muslim man was found decapitated, his body heavily mutilated and his heart ripped out.

Wednesday's killings were emblematic of the brutal fighting that has plagued the country since a rebel coup against President Francois Bozize triggered the worst ethnic violence in decades. Over a year into the chaos, the country is in shambles and the rift between its ethnic groups has widened to disastrous proportions.

Here's why the Central African Republic deserves your undivided attention:

1. More than 2,000 people have been killed since Christian fighters supporting ousted President Bozize tried to take back the capital from Muslim rebels in December 2013.

The rebel alliance that pushed out the president came from the north and was mostly comprised of members of the CAR's Muslim minority and foreign fighters. While the Seleka rebels tried to legitimize the coup by accusing the president of failing to live up to a peace deal, most fighters seemed far more motivated by the spoils a power grab would bring. The rebels have acted brutally, targeting both Christians and Muslims that crossed their path.

In March 2013, coup leader Michel Djotodia declared himself president and incorporated the Seleka fighters into the national army. But violence continued.

In response to the Seleka abuses, Christian self-defense groups known as anti-Balaka militias took up arms. They initially targeted Seleka fighters, but quickly expanded their reach to Muslim communities as well. Violence intensified in December 2013, when more than a hundred people died in anti-Balaka attack on the capital.

In January, Djotodia fled to Benin and the mayor of Bangui, Catherine Samba-Panza, took over. Yet the change of leadership did little to restore security.

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