Why did violence between Seleka and anti-balaka militias displace so many civilians?

The displacement of civilians in the Central African Republic was driven by a brutal cycle of sectarian violence that emerged following the 2013 coup. After the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel coalition seized power, they engaged in widespread pillaging, kidnapping, and acts of violence against the population.

In response, the primarily Christian civilian population formed militias known as anti-balaka to protect themselves. This led to a degenerating cycle of retaliatory attacks between these groups, which frequently targeted civilians. The resulting insecurity, characterized by torture, rape, and killings, forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes to escape the violence. By the end of 2013, more than 800,000 people had been displaced, and the ongoing struggle for territory and resources among various armed groups continued to cause mass displacement in subsequent years.1