DDHK News, Central Africa - Peacekeeping forces and aid organizations are trying to ease tensions between Christians and Muslims in a diamond mining area in the Central African Republic.
The city of Boda is one of the last cities in the western Central African Republic that is still inhabited by a large number of Muslims.
The Central African Republic government has told militia members there to stop threatening Muslims, but militia members say Muslims must leave the area.
In the past three months more than 100.000 Muslims have fled to the western Central African Republic, but tens of thousands more are trapped in slum areas and are threatened by anti-Balaka, mainly Christian groups that forced Muslims to flee.
The largest slum outside the capital, Bangui, is located in the town of Boda, a diamond mining center where there are an estimated 12.000 to 14.000 Muslims.
About two weeks ago, the Central African Republic government sent a delegation to Boda, led by Joachin Kokate, the anti-Balaka coordinator and also a government adviser. Kokate returned and reported that the anti-Balaka had agreed not to attack Muslims in Boda.
Voice of America (VOA) decided to investigate and arrived in Boda on March 19. The road leading to the city was full of roofless buildings that had been scorched. VOA's driver and guide officer, a Christian, was nervous when he entered Muslim areas.
He asked a Christian on the roadside if the Muslims, who were just down the road, were armed.
Our car continued on and arrived at a Muslim checkpoint. Our guide said, “Hello, how are you? We thought you were going to kill us, but fortunately you didn't. "
One young Muslim replied, "We have not killed or hurt anyone."
However, that does not mean the people there are at peace. Although 80 French peacekeepers were there, and their helicopters circled overhead, all the Muslims in Boda with whom VOA spoke said they wanted to leave.
Some say France has improved security, but there are still threats that grenades were thrown into their area a few days ago, and bodies of Muslims floated in the river at the weekend.
Diamond trader Mahmat Adoum, who says he was born there and has never left his country, summed up the general mood. He said everyone wanted to leave because it was not safe, Christians wanted them to go and it was impossible for Muslims to move more than 200 meters from the area where they live.
And, if Muslims leave Boda and their diamond business, he predicts, their history will end in the western part of the country. (VOA News)
