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 The Chadians were attacked by "anti-balaka" militia in the Gabongo
neighborhood of Bangui, near the airport, MISCA spokesman Eloi Yao
told Reuters.
Five of them were killed immediately on Wednesday during fighting in
Bangui which displaced hundreds of people. The violence eased on
Thursday as French peacekeepers took up positions on main roads near
the airport and in troubled neighborhoods, though sporadic shooting
was reported.
"The number of Chadian soldiers killed has risen to six because one
of them died from his wounds this morning," Yao said.
A Reuters reporter saw three civilian bodies on the streets of one
northern neighborhood following Wednesday's fighting.
The anti-balaka, a largely Christian self-defense militia whose name
means "anti-machete", has taken up arms against the mostly Muslim
Seleka rebels who seized power in March and unleashed a wave of
looting, rape and massacres.
France deployed a 1,600-strong peacekeeping mission in its former
colony in early December. Sporadic violence has continued despite
the presence of the French and a nearly 4,000-strong African Union
peacekeeping mission, and several peacekeepers have been killed.
The anti-balaka accuse Chadian forces of supporting the Seleka
rebels, something Chad strongly denies. MISCA's commanding
officer, Cameroon's Martin Tumenta Chomu, said on Tuesday the
Chadian troops would be moved outside the capital to northern
Central African Republic
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Colonel Gilles Jaron, spokesman for the French military, said
tensions remained high in Bangui, following an increase in violence
during the last week.
He said France, which was protecting the airport and neighborhoods
with its own citizens, was now also focusing on returning peace to
flashpoints in the city, such as the Gabongo and Bacongo
neighborhoods.
France's force, codenamed Sangaris, has between 1,000 and 1,200 men
stationed in Bangui, with the rest deployed in the interior of the
country, he said.
"The Sangaris force has not been the target of coordinated attacks.
We are the target of sporadic shooting which we respond to each
time," he said.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is drafting plans for a possible
U.N. peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic.
(Additional reporting by Marine Pennetier;
writing by Daniel Flynn;
editing by Andrew Roche)
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