At least 30 people had been killed and over 100 more had been injured in three days of inter-communal clashes in Bangui.
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Samba-Panza, who took office when Seleka ceded power in 2014 under global pressure, said the unrest was being stoked by supporters of ousted former president Francois Bozize.
“She left (New York) to go back to Central Africa because of the security situation”, a diplomat told Reuters.
In a video posted online Monday, footage shows burned-out cars and damage in Bangui, reportedly from the violence over the weekend. “In fact, the population is desperate and doesn’t believe in these forces anymore”, said Bangui resident Erick Wilibiro. The Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of MINUSCA Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, who was in New York for the annual high-level meetings of the General Assembly, has returned to Bangui.
“They strongly condemned such violence, including all attacks against civilians, violence between communities, as well as attacks against humanitarian personnel, and recalled that those responsible should be held accountable before justice”, the statement read.
The European Union conveys its condolences and its solidarity to the families and all affected by the violent events in recent days in the Central African Republic. Gunshots rang out on Monday night despite a curfew.
Earlier in the day, a group of protesters had gathered in downtown Bangui in an effort to march on the presidential palace. A UN-backed interim government is yet to rearm the army after officers were linked to the anti-balaka militia that conducted reprisals against Muslims. The death toll from several days of clashes reached 42 including a teenage boy who was decapitated.
The violence is a reminder of how fragile and unpredictable the security situation in vehicle remains, with armed elements still present in a few neighbourhoods of Bangui, and in control of several towns and localities in the centre and north of the country (including Bambari, Batangafo, Kaga-Bandoro, Mbres, Kabo).
The UN’s peacekeeping force, MINUSCA, denied the account but said it would seek to “verify” the accusations.
United Nations interim humanitarian coordinator Marc Vandenberghe said he was “extremely worried” by the loss of life. Witnesses said he was killed by anti-balaka forces.
On Monday, over 500 inmates escaped from Ngaraba prison and militias ransacked the offices of worldwide aid organisations.
“I don’t think one can over-estimate the risk of this getting worse, it’s clearly there”, United Nations human rights spokesman Rupert Colville told a news conference in Geneva.
The country erupted in violence after Seleka rebels seized power in the majority-Christian country in 2013, killing thousands and leaving hundreds of thousands still displaced. “This is a crucial moment for the Central African Republic“.
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The worldwide Crisis Group (ICG) released a statement on Tuesday urging authorities to delay elections in the country, now scheduled for October 18.
