Central African Republic rival rebels clash in Kaga Bandoro Published duration 18 September 2016

image copyright AFP image caption UN peacekeepers were sent to the CAR in 2014

At least six people have been killed in fighting between rival rebel groups in the Central African Republic (CAR), the UN mission in the country says.

UN peacekeepers intervened to stop further violence in the northern towns of Kaga Bandoro and Ndomete.

A spokesman for the presidency said members of the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel group went from door-to-door and killed their victims.

CAR has been wracked by conflict along religious and ethnic lines since 2013.

Seleka rebels briefly seized power in March 2013 and deposed the Christian President Francois Bozize.

The Seleka group was itself then ousted, leading to a wave of violent reprisals against the Muslim population by the Christian anti-Balaka militia.

Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced in the CAR since 2013. More than 12,000 UN peacekeepers are deployed in the country as part of the agency's so-called Minusca mission.

Correction 21 September 2016: An earlier version of this article incorrectly attributed the number of dead given by the UN as 20.

Related Topics Central African Republic