Two UN peacekeepers killed in Central African Republic

CAMEROON, Cameroon – Two U.N. peacekeepers were killed in an attack Monday in the Central African Republic, the United Nations said.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the peacekeepers came under fire on the Bangasso-Gambo axis.

Dujarric said nine U.N. peacekeepers have been killed “in hostile incidents” in the last seven days in Central African Republic and Mali.

The mineral-rich Central African Republic has faced deadly inter-religious and inter-communal fighting since 2013, when predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power after long claiming marginalization. Resistance to Seleka rule eventually led to Muslims being targeted en masse, with some beaten to death, mosques destroyed and tens of thousands forced from the capital in 2014.

Violence has stepped up following recent presidential elections.