The bloodshed in the Central African republic shows no signs of abating.  Throughout the country Muslim extremists continue to focus their attacks on Christians and peace forces.

Last week there were reports from a priest that 75 people were killed in the small town of Boda, largely the result of heavy fighting between rebel forces and the peacekeepers.

France has contributed over 1400 troops to augment the 5000 strong African peace force, the idea was to increase strength to perhaps supress the violence.  It seems not to be working in fact the war is beginning to escalate.

There have been a number of massacres in mainly Christian villages which the peacekeepers have been unable to stop.  Often these villages are in the remote regions of the country particularly in the North West corner.  Unsurprisingly there is news of a Christian group forming called the anti-balaka who are intending to also battle the rebels.  There are increasing reports that this group too are committing human rights abuses as well.  The violence is starting to escalate out of control and the peacekeepers are becoming involved in the violence despite their best efforts.

Population displacement is also increasing as 10s of thousands flee from the fighting.  This causes even more humanitarian issues, as the refugees usually have no way to support themselves, charities are getting involved but they too have finite resources.

It’s not surprising that there is a growing feeling in France that the troops should be pulled out, that peacekeepers are not able to make a difference currently in the chaos.  You can see up to date news and reports on the French media who are covering the story in detail.  If you’re based outside France then you can watch French TV online using this method.

As you can see it allows you to access any of the online French TV stations which are normally blocked. It does this by masking your IP address and instead presenting a French one when you connect to the site.