UN employee kidnapped in Central African Republic

Gunmen appear to be linked to the mainly Christian anti-balaka militia

BANGUI: Armed men kidnapped a female UN employee in the capital of the strife-torn Central African Republic on Tuesday, a day after two aid workers were seized, said a source with the UN force.

The gunmen, who appeared to be linked to the mainly Christian anti-balaka militia, seized the woman from a van taking UN staffers to work in Bangui, the source with the UN's MINUSCA mission in the country said on condition of anonymity.

The abduction came a day after a French charity worker and a churchman were seized in an area of the city controlled by anti-balaka militia fighters.

The militia demanded the release of one of its leaders who has been arrested for crimes including murder.

"Unidentified armed men kidnapped on Tuesday a woman who works for MINUSCA after having stopped the vehicle in which she was travelling. A similar kidnap attempt failed just a bit earlier," said MINUSCA in a statement.

The country sank into chaos when the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel umbrella group seized power in the majority Christian state in March 2013, ousting President Francois Bozize.

A backlash from the mostly Christian or animist "anti-balaka" militia led to violence that has killed thousands and displaced around 1 million people.