Seleka

In one of my previous posts, I have covered the Anti Balaka. Now I will cover their enemies, the Seleka. The Seleka like I have mentioned in my previous post, the Seleka are a coalition (but I will go in more depth in this post) of various Muslim rebel groups like the Patriotic Convention for Saving the Country (CPSK), Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP), and the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (URDF). The Seleka toppled the Bozize government, and they became the de-facto government forces in control. Several Christians that were mercilessly preyed upon by the Seleka coalition started to form their own vigilante groups known as the "Anti Balaka". The Anti Balaka started to mercilessly prey upon the Muslim population with such violence (cannibalism is often reported in the attacks) that some sources call it genocide. The Seleka retaliate with equal violence against the Christians, thus turning the CAR civil war into a tit for tat atrocity conflict.

The scar on this individual is interesting to analyze. He most likely got it in an ambush by Anti-Balaka vigilantes. The weapon that caused the wound seems to be a bladed melee weapon like a machete or knife. A gunshot wound inflicted were the scar is located would have most likely would be fatal. This scar on the face is evidence for hand to hand combat during clashes between Anti Balaka and the Seleka.

Uniforms seem to be prevalent among Seleka fighters. This hints of either great organization or foreign backing. Seleka fighters also might have gotten them from ex-government troops.

Notice the Muslim turbans on many of these individuals. This reflects the fact that many Seleka fighters are Muslim.