UN soldier killed in CAR

United Nations spokesperson Hamadoun Toure confirmed the news of the peacekeepers death with journalists on Sunday. "There was an exchange of fire. During the exchange we lost one peacekeeper and eight peacekeepers were wounded," Toure said. He did not, however, disclose the nationality of the soldiers.

The incident occurred as the UN soldiers launched an operation to arrest a former leader of the Muslim Seleka rebel alliance, which seized power in 2013. "As the [UN] blue helmets approached the area, they were targeted by armed individuals and responded," an unnamed officer for the UN's mission in the Central African Republic, MINUSCA, told the AFP news agency.

Tensions remained high in the KM5 district, where the shooting took place. The UN operation was still going on, Security Minister Dominique Said Paguindji told AFP.

"Once calm and security are restored…we can look at the operational toll," he said.

The country has been rocked by violence since 2013, when Seleka rebels toppled President Francois Bozize. Following the coup, Christian anti-balaka or anti-machete groups were formed to avenge the Seleka's atrocities, resulting in killing, rape and pillaging. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled the nation since then.

The CAR is set to hold elections in October, but the government announced plans to block refugees from voting in the polls, including 200,000 Muslim citizens.

mg/jlw (AP, AFP)