JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, June 28 (UPI) -- Human Rights Watch said field reports from June from the Central African Republic suggest the rebel Seleka coalition is responsible for rampant rights abuses.
The rebel movement overthrew the government of President Francois Bozize in March, forcing him to flee the country to Cameroon. The group is accused of widespread human rights abuses despite agreeing to a peace accord in early 2013.
Human Rights Watch accused the group of killing at least 40 civilians and destroying more than 30 villages since February. Field surveys through June suggest there have been "rampant abuses" committed by Seleka.
The International Committee of the Red Cross warned this week the conflict in CAR was all but forgotten.
Daniel Bekele, director of African research at the rights group, said civilians are getting killed in CAR because of the lack of assistance from the international community.
"The world doesn't seem to notice that the Central African Republic is facing a catastrophic situation," he said in a Thursday statement from South Africa.
The ICRC said it is running short on medical supplies and the situation in CAR is compounded by the rainy season.
Human Rights Watch researchers were surveying the situation in CAR from Feb. 11 to June 2.
