Soldiers from Chad entered a market in the Central African Republic capital of Bangui last week, killed about 30 civilians, wounded another 300 and returned to Chad, according to preliminary findings by the United Nations Human Rights Office.
Human rights investigators said the March 29 incident began when Chadian national army soldiers entered Bangui in a convoy of several military pick-up trucks.
They entered a crowded market where shoppers included women and children, and opened fire, a U.N. report said Friday.
“As panic-stricken people fled in all directions, the soldiers allegedly continued firing indiscriminately,” said Rupert Colville, spokesman for the U.N.’s office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
“Several sources told the investigating team that they believed the Chadian force had entered Bangui to extract remaining Chadians and other Muslim inhabitants in order to save them from further attacks by (Christian militias),” Colville said.
The U.N. said the soldiers who were responsible for the Bangui attack were Chadian soldiers but not among those who are part of the African-led International Support Mission peacekeeping mission that’s trying to stabilize the Central African Republic.
