U.N. frees 21 herders enslaved by militia in Central African Republic

BANGUI (Reuters) - U.N. peacekeepers have liberated some 21 nomadic Muslim herders, most of them women and children, enslaved by militia groups in the west of Central African Republic, though up to 100 more remain in captivity, a U.N. official said on Sunday.

The herders, from the Fulani ethnic group, were captured about a year ago near the town of Yaloke during religious violence unleashed after Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in the majority Christian country in 2013, provoking a backlash from local militia groups.