Fourth UN peacekeeper dies after C.Africa chopper crash

A fourth Senegalese UN peacekeeper has died after he was injured in a combat helicopter crash in the Central African Republic two weeks ago, the UN said on Monday. Three other Senegalese crew died when the Russian-made helicopter went down on September 27 in Bouar, in the western CAR, during a UN operation.

The Senegalese captain, badly wounded in the accident, died of his injuries on October 6, Mankeur Ndiaye, chief of the UN mission known as MINUSCA, said on Twitter. The helicopter crew were part of a military operation against the 3R militia, one of several Central African armed groups, UN officials said.

The militia group is one of 14 that signed up to an eighth attempted peace agreement with the Central African government this year, but militias have breached the accord repeatedly. One of the world's poorest and most unstable nations, CAR has suffered several violent crises since 2003 when former president Francois Bozize seized power in a coup.

The country spiraled into bloodshed after Bozize was overthrown in 2013. Fighting has since forced nearly a quarter of the country's 4.5 million people to flee their homes and rival militia groups control most of the country.

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