BOSSANGOA (Central African Republic): The Christian camp is on one side, the Muslim camp on another, separated by a red dirt road littered with abandoned homes, a no man’s land swirling with bitterness, rumours and accusations.

Wrenched apart by sectarian violence, the Central African Republic town of Bossangoa has become little more than a ghost town.

Religious tensions in the country have exploded in the past two weeks, following months of crisis sparked by a March coup, and has sent residents in Bossangoa, 300 km north of the capital Bangui fleeing for their lives.

The Christians fled to a massive camp around the archbishop’s office.

“Spontaneously and in waves, in the past two months, 40,000 Christians in Bossangoa and surrounding villages have gathered around the archbishopric, crammed onto only four hectares,” said an official from the aid group Action Against Hunger.

About 800 metres further north along the red dirt road, thousands of Muslims have swelled a camp on the grounds of the Liberte school since a spike of violence in early December which left hundreds massacred in a matter of days. Before the latest unrest there were 1,600 of them, now there are about 7,000.—AFP