Séléka

Séléka CPSK-CPJP-UFDR was an alliance of rebel militia groups that subjugated the Central African Republic (CAR) on 24 March 2013. After its official dissolution in September 2013, the remaining rebel groups became known as Ex-Séléka. Séléka leader Michel Djotodia became the nation's president from March 2013 until his resignation in January 2014. Members of Séléka were almost all Muslim.The Economist: "The Central African Republic - Ever darker"
8 November 2013BBC: "Central African Republic: Religious tinderbox"
4 November 2013

Name

The word ''seleka'' means "coalition" or "alliance" in Sango, one of the CAR's two national languages, the other being French. The international media has shortened the full name ''Séléka CPSK-CPJP-UFDR'' (which incorporates the abbreviations for its component organisations) to ''la Séléka'' in French and ''Seleka'' in English.

The term ''Séléka'' had been used previously in CAR politics when Jean-Jacques Démafouth launched the political party New Alliance for Progress () with the Sango name ''Fini Seleka''.

Background

The rebel coalition originated in an agreement signed between factions of the Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP) and the Patriotic Convention for Saving the Country (CPSK), two of the CAR's many anti-government militias, on 20 August 2012. CPJP in this case refers to the "Fundamental" splinter group of the CPJP, one of many militias involved in the CAR's long-running civil war. A different faction of the CPJP signed a peace accord with the government on 25 August 2012.

The Séléka first emerged on 15 September 2012 under the name ''alliance CPSK-CPJP''; when it published a press release taking responsibility for the attacks on three towns that day. It was the last of the major rebel groups to do so. The CPSK was hardly known. On 15 December 2012 the group published its first press release using the full name "Séléka CPSK-CPJP-UFDR" thus including the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR). Two groups that did not appear in the title, the long-standing militia Democratic Front of the Central African People (FDPC), and the newly minted Alliance for Revival and Rebuilding (A2R), were also reportedly part of the alliance.

Members of the Séléka were usually Muslim, as was Michel Djotodia, the president the movement installed in March 2013 after taking power. However, it found its origin in social rather than strictly religious struggles. Muslims - who represent at most 15% of the country's population - have long been the victim of stigmatization and repressive policies, including great difficulty in obtaining legal documents, discrimination in the schooling system, and the systematic obligation to pay more than Christians at roadblocks. Later, the frequent massacres against Muslim communities committed by the Anti-balaka, as well as French military cooperation with the Anti-balaka, would further cement the Séléka's popularity among these communities as they were seen as a "bulwark" against repression.

On the international plan, Séléka reportedly enjoyed the support of Chadian president Idriss Déby, who had struck a deal with the group that Chadian agents would get hold of key posts in the Central African state apparatus after a takeover. Thus, according to certain observers, the 2013 coup occurred with Chadian backing, although Déby denied these allegations. The group was also partially made up of Sudanese Janjaweed fighters, who participated in summary executions and atrocities at some points in 2013.

Civil War

In the months after the coup, which brought Séléka figurehead Djotodia to power, fighters connected to the militia plundered villages and killed Christians as well as supporters of former president François Bozizé.For Bangui's last Muslims, to stray outside the safe haven is to court death
. Retrieved 2014-04-26. Throughout this period, Séléka operated as a "loose confederation of armed groups", largely beyond any effective control by commanders.

In September 2013, Michel Djotodia announced that Séléka had been dissolved; however, this had little effect on the rebel groups already roaming across the country. Militias from Séléka, now dispersed into the countryside, went on to commit mass atrocities according to observers including Human Rights Watch.Human Rights Watch: "Central African Republic: War Crimes by Ex-Seleka Rebels - Hold Commander Accountable for Attack on Town"
25 November 2013 Executions, rape and looting by Séléka fighters further escalated religious and ethnic tensions. Largely Christian militias, using the name Anti-balaka, were formed from pre-existing village militias around this same period. These groups engaged in combat with Séléka, but also indiscriminately massacred Muslims. In response, the United Nations considered sending troops to stop the atrocities, and established the MINUSCA peacekeeping mission in September 2014.

Involvement in illegal trade

NGOs including Global Witness have criticized Séléka's connections to the illegal logging

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