DHAKA:  African Union (AU) peacekeepers have uncovered a mass grave at a military camp occupied by Seleka rebels in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR).

The find came a day after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday there was "a distinct risk" the CAR could end up divided as a result of sectarian violence and called for an international force to combat escalating atrocities.

The discovery is the latest chapter of violence to grip the former French colony since March, when the mainly Muslim rebels seized power.

Their campaign of rape, torture and executions against the majority Christian population triggered inter-religious
violence which has displaced a million people, the Reuters news agency said.

International pressure that saw Seleka leader Michel Djotodia resign last month. That in turn has been followed by Christian militia attacks on Muslims.

A Reuters witness saw at least a dozen decomposed bodies at the military camp in the 200 Villas neighbourhood of Bangui, where Seleka fighters have been stationed for several months.

The bodies had been stuffed into a large underground chamber, possibly a septic tank, Reuters reported.

Pastor Antoine Mboa Bogo, head of the local Red Cross, confirmed the existence of the grave and said his staff would
return to the camp on Thursday to determine the number of dead.

It is not known who committed the killings.

Source: aljazeera.com
BDST: 0843 HRS, FEB 13, 2014