Militia chief among 4 killed in CAR flareup

A militia chief and two of his henchmen were shot dead in clashes in Bangui, Central African Republic’s capital, sparking a backlash in which a pastor was also killed, police said Wednesday.
The incident, which took place on Tuesday, erupted in the flashpoint PK5 neighbourhood as security forces backed by UN peacekeepers went in to question the leader of an armed group, known as “Big Man”.
“Big Man and his entourage resisted. An exchange of fire erupted and the leader was neutralised along with two of his men,” a police source told AFP.
Sporadic gunfire continued until nightfall, with militia members retaliating to the arrest operation by surrounding a local apostolic church and killing the pastor, the source said.
PK5, once a Muslim rebel bastion, is now home to several armed groups that have taken advantage of the weakness of the state since the end of a sectarian conflict pitting mainly Muslim against Christian militias.
Even though relative peace has returned following the civil war that erupted in 2013, inter-communal tensions remain.