Looting follows evacuation of Muslims from Central African capital

A man stands near a vehicle and other belongings set on fire by its owners who did not want to leave them behind for looters as Muslim families prepare to be evacuated by road, with the help of an armed convoy escorted by African Union peacekeepers, near the PK 12 neighbourhood in Bangui April 27, 2014. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola

BANGUI (Reuters) - Peacekeeping troops escorted around 1,300 Muslims out of Bangui on Sunday, triggering looting and removing one of the last pockets of Muslims from the capital of a nation torn apart by religious violence.

Foreign troops have escorted thousands of Muslims to relative safety in the north of the Central African Republic. But some leaders fear that will make permanent divisions that have led to talk of partition after 18 months of conflict.