UN base ‘targeted’ in Central Africa clashes

BANGUI, Central African Republic: The UN peacekeeping force in Central African Republic (CAR) said on Tuesday one of its bases had come under fire during clashes between rival groups, prompting its troops to respond.

The violence erupted on Monday between rival factions of the so-called former Seleka Muslim rebel group in the town of Bria, 400 kilometres northeast of Bangui, MINUSCA said in a statement.

"The MINUSCA base was targeted by some elements of the FPRC before they were driven out of the area by retaliatory fire," it said. The FPRC -- the Popular Front for the Renaissance of the Central African Republic -- is a splinter group led by Noureddine Adam, who faces international sanctions for his alleged role in intercommunal killings in 2013 and 2014.

One of the world´s poorest countries, CAR has been struggling to emerge from the aftermath of a civil war which erupted in 2013 following the overthrow of former president Francois Bozize, a Christian, by Muslim rebels from the Seleka coalition.