There are many conflicts raging around the world on any given day and the United States has their hands in, the one that has been consuming the Central African Republic is not one of them but the suffering within its borders took another terrible turn earlier this week. The country of a shade under 5 million people (about the same population as the state of South Carolina) is landlocked, has the second worst Human Development Index score in the world, and since December of 2012 has been involved in a violent Civil War which many outside observers infer is a partial continuation of the Central African Republic Bush War that was waged from 2004 to April of 2007 when peace agreements were signed between the Central African government and various rebel groups. These conflicts both have strong sectarian (mostly religious in nature) overtones and have led to economic ruins to the tune of a poverty rate that includes over half of the citizens.
The United Nations has since 2012, staged peacekeeping operations aimed at resolving the conflict which has already in 3 years, displaced hundreds of thousands of people and led to many more thousands of refugees in need of support. The conflict received its latest blow of violence this week when after peacekeepers were shot at and they returned gunfire which left three people dead and others wounded. The shooting happened in PK5 which is a Muslim neighborhood in the capital city of Bangui. Though the incident has now ended, the war seems poised to continue or even worsen. When peacekeeping troops are returning gunfire on civilians it is very hard to find a reason to hope for peace. Maybe the government forces and rebel groups can ratify a lasting peace agreement yet, but until that time this relatively anonymous African country will continue to have its citizens suffer and the death toll in the low thousands, potentially balloon.
