Nobel Peace Laureate Warns of CAR Genocide

South African Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu has warned that the Central African Republic (CAR) is "on the brink of genocide", urging its citizens to end the political turmoil that has ended the lives of hundreds of civilians.

“The country stands on the brink of genocide; some would say it has already commenced,” said Tutu in a statement released by his Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, South African Press Association (SAPA)  reported on Sunday, April 20.
“It is the people of the Central African Republic who hold the key to sustainable peace. It is the people who must re-learn to live together,” he added.
Since the eruption of the conflict last December, about 1 million Central Africans have been internally displaced inside the republic.
Moreover, more than 82,000 central African Muslims have fled to neighboring countries including Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo and Chad.
The death toll has also climbed to more than 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, including women and children, the refugee agency stated.
Despite of deploying hundreds of forces, French troops failed to protect the Muslim minority, attacking their protests and allowing mass killings by anti-balaka Christian militias.
Reflecting on the ongoing conflict, Tutu warned that over the 13 months the country’s “incessant struggles” for power and resources had “degenerated into anarchy, hatred and ethnic cleansing.
Tolerance
In his message, Tutu called on people on all sides of the conflict - Christian, Muslim and Atheist - to "rekindle the spirit of tolerance".
"When we forgive we liberate ourselves and sow a seed for a new beginning; it has a powerful multiplier effect," he said, Agence France Presse reported.
"It is the people of the Central African Republic who hold the key to sustainable peace. It is the people who must re-learn to live together," he said.
Tutu said that he joined the UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon’s call for the leaders and people of the CAR “to rekindle the spirit of tolerance and mutual respect”, urging people of both faiths to forgive and deal with differences.
“When we forgive we liberate ourselves and sow a seed for a new beginning; it has a powerful multiplier effect.”
He also welcomed the United Nation’s announcement that it would deploy a peacekeeping force as a “massive relief”.
"They will assist to restore broken systems, including policing and justice," he said.
Source: On Islam