African troops fire on C.Africa protesters, one dead

SHOTLIST BANGUI, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, DECEMBER 23, 2013, SOURCE: AFPTV ATTENTION -- CONTAINS IMAGE OF DEAD BODY - VAR of protestors - VAR of French Soldiers shooting in the air in order to disperse the crowd - VAR of protesters crying SOUNDBITE 1 Jean (man), protester (French, 17 sec): "They opened fire in front of the French army, did you see? We are calling for our rights and we are killed. It's shameful. The Chadian army is there for MISCA but has become our enemy. What's that about? We're fed up in this country. " SOUNDBITE 2 Freddy (man), protester (French, 15 sec): [Speaking to the French army]: "You came to help us, how many months have you been here! They kill us like animals. Every day several Central Africans die." [In French: "Vous etes venus pour nous, ça fait combien de mois que vous etes là ! Ils nous tuent comme des animaux, chaque jour plusieurs centrafricains meurent."] /// ---------------------------------------------------------AFP TEXT STORY Centrafrica-unrest-AU-shooting African troops fire on C.Africa protesters, one dead: AFP BANGUI, Central African Republic, Dec 23, 2013 (AFP) - African Union troops early on Monday fired on demonstrators protesting against the president of the strife-torn Central African Republic, killing at least one person, according to AFP reporters on the scene. Several hundred Christian demonstrators crowded at the entrance to the airport in Bangui, calling for the departure of President Michel Djotodia, who became the first Muslim leader of the majority Christian nation after a March coup that unleashed waves of violence in the country. They were also calling for the departure of Chadian troops from the African MISCA force that, alongside French troops, has been struggling to restore order in the country. When two 4X4 vehicles with AU troops from Chad approached the demonstrators, the latter started throwing rocks in their direction. The soldiers responded by firing their weapons in the air and toward the crowd, killing at least one person and wounding another, according to AFP reporters. French troops quickly intervened to evacuate the victims. Many in Bangui accuse Chad, whose President Idriss Deby Itno has been the perennial kingmaker in the Central African Republic, of masterminding the Seleka rebellion that led the March coup. While Chadian troops are only one component of the 3,700-strong MISCA, African commanders admit that they have been following their own agenda. Djotodia was the leader of the mostly Muslim Seleka coalition and although he disbanded the group after the coup, some members went rogue. Months of killing, raping and pillaging followed, sparking international warnings of a major humanitarian crisis and prompting Christians to form vigilante groups. France has deployed 1,600 soldiers to its former colony alongside the MISCA force. The French intervention has been largely welcomed by the Christian majority but many Muslims argue operations against the remnants of Seleka have left them exposed to reprisals. On Sunday several thousand Muslim supporters of Seleka protested in Bangui against French troops, a demonstration that swelled after three ex-Seleka fighters were reported killed in clashes with French soldiers. bur-hba/yad/ec