Clashes between armed civilians and the rebels who now control Central African Republic have left at least 23 people dead in a remote village in the country's northwest, a top military official said today.
Already the waves of attacks on villages in Ouham province have forced more than 170,000 people to flee their homes, according to the UN humanitarian agency.
Fresh violence erupted early today in the town of Gaga, about 120 miles (200 kilometers) northwest of the capital, Army Gen. Mahamat Bahar said.
It was not immediately possible to independently corroborate the military's death toll of 23 in the remote and instable area, though other witnesses said at least twice that many people had died.
