Mbakate, Central African Republic
A fighter from a self-defence militia known as anti-balaka wears charms for protection in Mbakate village...
A fighter from a self-defence militia known as anti-balaka wears charms for protection in Mbakate village, Central African Republic November 25, 2013. The anti-balaka group in Mbakate say they are protecting their village from Seleka fighters. With Central African Republic slipping deeper into chaos, former colonial power France plans to boost its force there to around 1,000 troops to restore law and order until a much bigger African Union force fully deploys. The land-locked country has been gripped by violence since the mainly Muslim rebels, many of them fighters from neighbouring Sudan and Chad, seized power in the majority Christian country in March. Some 460,000 people - around a tenth of the population - have fled the sectarian violence their takeover ignited. REUTERS/Joe Penney (CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY POLITICS)