UN peacekeeper killed in attack in Central African Republic The United Nations says a peacekeeper was killed in the Central African Republic during an attack by armed members of the mainly Christian anti-Balaka group

UNITED NATIONS -- A U.N. peacekeeper was killed in the Central African Republic during an attack by armed members of the mainly Christian anti-Balaka group, the United Nations said Monday.

The U.N. Mission in the Central African Republic reported that the peacekeeper from Burundi was killed on Sunday when troops were trying to stop the attack in Grimari in the center of the country, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Mankeur Ndiaye, who heads the peacekeeping mission, condemned the attack on U.N. peacekeepers and the city. He stressed that any attack on a U.N. peacekeeper can be considered a war crime.

The mineral-rich Central African Republic has faced deadly inter-religious and inter-communal fighting since 2013, when predominantly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in the capital, Bangui. Mostly Christian anti-Balaka militias fought back, resulting in the killing of thousands and the displacement of thousands more.

The country saw a period of relative peace in late 2015 and 2016, but violence intensified and spread afterward. In February 2019, the government signed a peace agreement with 14 armed groups, but since then there have been intermittent serious incidents