Lawmakers in the troubled country of the Central Africa Republic have shortlisted eight candidates to be voted into power to fill the current power vacuum created when President Micheal Djotodia resigned last week.

The candidates include two sons of former leaders and the transitional council will vote on Monday to choose one to be the interim president in a bid to pull the country out of months of turmoil and sectarian killings.

The violence has descended into religious conflict with the Seleka fighters being Muslims and the anti-Balaka militias being Christians.

Local reporters say the candidates would have to show they had no link to the Seleka rebels which overthrew President Francois Bozize or the anti-Balaka militia which is trying to fight back.

Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross in the country providing medical aid said on its website that fresh inter-communal violence had flared in the west and northwest and dozens of dead bodies have been discovered.

“Red Cross staff and volunteers have buried some 50 bodies discovered in the area around Bossembélé, Boyali and Boali,” the statement said.

“Much of the population, in danger of reprisals and with no-one to protect them, have fled their homes and are hiding in the bush,” it further added.

The Reuters African Service also reported that Christians mob attacked and killed two Muslim men on Sunday in a reprisal attack in the capital Bangui.

“A crowd set upon two men they said were Muslims after hearing reports a taxi driver had been kidnapped by Seleka gunmen’’, an anonymous resident told the Reuters News Agency.

“As long as Muslims continue, we will also continue to do so”, a man in the crowd who only gave his name as Yacinte, was also quoted by Reuters as saying.

On Friday, aid agencies said at least 22 people were killed in an attack on a convoy evacuating Muslims to neighboring Cameroon.

More than a million people have fled the violence and more than 1,000 people were killed last month in the capital alone, according to official United Nations figures.

The European Union foreign ministers were expected to agree on Monday to send up to 1,000 soldiers to provide technical support to help stabilize the country.

Issaka Adams / NationalTurk Africa News

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