The world's top Islamic body has named former Senegalese foreign minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio as a special envoy to the strife-torn Central African Republic.
The Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said yesterday Gadio, who served as Senegal's chief diplomat from 2000 to 2009, would bring "vast knowledge, skills" to the position.
The Central African Republic has been rocked by a year of sectarian violence between majority Christians and the Muslim minority, prompting the deployment of some 8,000 French and African peacekeepers.
Despite the peacekeepers' presence, violence continues in the country, and has already forced about a quarter of the population of 4.6 million from their homes.
The OIC has 57 member nations, bringing together much of the Islamic world and often mediates in conflicts involving Muslims.
