10 killed in fresh violence in Central African Republic

Bangui (Central African Republic) (AFP) - At least 10 people have been killed in northwest Central African Republic in an attack blamed on armed Fulani herdsmen and mainly Muslim Seleka militia, in the worst violence to surface in months.

The chronically unstable nation is struggling to overcome the legacy of three years of trouble between Christians and Muslims that has driven half a million people from their homes.

The attack, confirmed by local officials, was the worst unrest since presidential and parliamentary elections in February and March viewed as a key step to reconciliation after the sectarian trouble.

"At least 10 people died and several others were hurt by armed Fulanis and members of the former Seleka during an attack in the Ngaoundaye region in the northwest," an officer from the gendarmerie security force told AFP on condition of anonymity

He said the Fulani herdsmen travelling from the far north towards Cameroon had asked for permission to cross Ngaoundaye but had "faced refusal from the residents".

Despite boosting security in the town last weekend, the Fulani herders, backed by militia, attacked the town centre on Tuesday "shooting at residents and torching homes and the barracks".

Telephone lines were down and the residents had fled, the source added.

The chronically unstable nation, one of the world's poorest, was plunged into chaos by the March 2013 ousting of long-serving president Francois Bozize, a Christian, by the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel alliance.

The coup sparked revenge attacks involving Muslim forces and Christian vigilante groups known as "anti-balaka" (anti-machete) militias.

Thousands were slaughtered in the spiral of atrocities that drove about a tenth of the population of 4.8 million to flee their homes.

Fears of a bloodbath led to a military intervention by former colonial power France and the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force.