SUMMARY

Ethnicity, religion, livelihood, and political affiliation have all played important parts for conflicts in the Central African Republic (CAR). The main division has been between "northerners" and "southerners". Northerners are generally Muslim and herders. Patasse and Djotodia were both Presidents from the north. Southerners are generally Christian and farmers. Kolingba and Bozize were both Presidents from the south.

The northern-based Séléka rebel alliance was formed in September 2012, bringing together several rebel groupings with a common enemy in Bozize, and a common religion being Muslims. This alliance managed to oust President Bozize replacing him with the leader of the Séléka alliance Michel Djotodia. However, after taking office, Djotodia failed to control the disparate alliance. Former Séléka stepped up a campaign of looting and killing. In order to try to stop the violence Djotodia issued a decree dissolving Séléka on 13 September and declared the Forces Armées Centrafricaines as the sole legitimate armed force in charge of national defense. After this date, Séléka affiliated groups, not part of the government army, called themselves ex-Seleka.

At this time, groups of local vigilantes, farmers, Christian defense militias, soldiers loyal to Bozizé, and others formed so-called anti-Balaka forces. These groups clashed with the Séléka and, especially since Djotodia resigned in January 2014, started carrying out horrific reprisal attacks on Muslim populations. Ex-Séléka and anti-Balaka clashed on numerous occasions trying to win control over important towns or resources and both groups attacked civilians from the other group.

On 10 May 2014 ex-Séléka made a new effort to re-unify, they announced a new military leadership, and on 10 July a new political movement, FPRC (Front Populaire pour la renaissance de Centrafrique), was announced. This group claimed to be a secessionist movement with a goal to split the northern part of the country from the south. One-sided violence perpetrated by ex-Séléka should be seen as part of this context.

FPRC first became active as a one-sided actor in UCDP data in 2013, when the one-sided violence resulted in more than 25 civilian deaths. The threshold was reached in September of that year when the group raided Gaga village in Central African Republic and massacred more than 200 villagers.