End ethnic cleansing in the Central African Republic

A miracle shouldn't be the only way out. Sectarian violence has spiraled out of control in the Central African Republic. Militias are carrying out violent attacks in an effort to ethnically cleanse Muslims from the country while Christian victims of earlier attacks continue to find no justice. War crimes are on the rise while the international community drags its feet. Help Amnesty push for a desperately needed increase in peacekeeping operations to protect lives and human rights and restore the rule of law. http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=6oJCLQPAJiJUG&b=6645049&aid=520666&msource=W1403EACPR1 Dear Tracy, It's a miracle she survived. I met an 11 year-old Muslim girl in the Central African Republic a few weeks ago. She had survived a horrific assault on the village of Bouguere – in a country where sectarian violence has spiraled out of control. Join me in urging the UN to rush peacekeeping reinforcements and swiftly deploy international police units to help stop ethnic cleansing in the Central African Republic and restore law and order. I came to this region with a small group of Amnesty investigators looking into reports of mass killings and forced evictions of Muslims. Throughout our travels, we found case after case of mayhem and death. We found a young girl crouching in the corner of an abandoned house. She had been there, alone, without food or water, for four days. The rest of her family had been killed. She was terrified, and so weak she could not even stand. To find her, we had just walked down streets littered with bodies, including 3 women and a baby. Small bundles of clothing were found near the bodies – indicating they were slaughtered as they tried to flee. A miracle shouldn't be the only way out of this nightmare – and citizens of a country should not be forced to flee their homes on the basis of their religion. These communities need protection now. Tell the UN and the African Union to act quickly and decisively to protect Muslim men, women and children who remain in the country -- and restore law and order for Muslims and Christians. Peacekeepers could have prevented this massacre, but in too many communities, they are nowhere to be found. They have been slow to challenge the anti-balaka militias that are carrying out the barbaric campaign of ethnic cleansing against Muslims. Tens of thousands of Muslims have been forced out of their own country. Others can't leave for lack of funds for transport or fear of being attacked on the roads. Whole neighborhoods have been abandoned. Mosques and property destroyed. The anti-balaka militias themselves were formed in response to mass killings by Muslim militias linked to the former government – gripping the country in a cycle of violence and vengeance. Christian individuals and communities have yet to find any justice or accountability for brutal attacks that ravaged their communities before the anti-balaka militias filled the power vacuum. Members of both communities are at risk. The international community's reaction to these human rights atrocities has been shamefully inadequate. Help us break the logjam – please take action with Amnesty right now. Thank you for defending human rights with me today. Joanne Mariner Crisis Response Amnesty International