The war in the Central African Republic is a complicated conflict that has dragged on for months; it’s also just the latest outbreak of violence in this troubled country.

I’ve written a long feature for the Spring edition of the New Humanist magazine, exploring the background to the fighting in CAR, and questioning the role of religion.

On Christmas Day last year, Catherine Teya called her cousin to wish her merry Christmas. Her cousin, who lives in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic (CAR), answered, but not for festive greetings. She whispered that she was hiding under the table because militia were going from door to door in the neighbourhood, looting houses. Terrified, she asked Teya to call back the next day.

You can read the full piece at the New Humanist’s website, and the cutting is below. You can subscribe to the magazine (which is quarterly) here.