Revenge attacks against Muslims in the Central African Republic are plunging the country back into chaos and could actually cut the economic legs out from under the poorest country in Africa as it tries to rebound from a year of civil war.

Human Rights Watch emergency director Peter Bouckaert says members of the minority Muslim community control the livestock market and other businesses.  But since coup leader Coup leader Michel Djotodia, who ran the country from March of last year until last month, stepped down and left the country, tens of thousands of Muslims followed.

“There are literally entire neighborhoods which are completely emptied of their Muslim population.  Their homes are being systematically taken down – roofs, doors, windows, everything is just being taken down.  So the very evidence of their existence in this country is being erased,” said Bouckeart.  As many as 40,000 Muslims are believed to have fled to neighboring countries.

Djotodia’s Seleka rebels degenerated into local militias during 2013, wreaking havoc across the vast rural areas of the CAR and its majority Christian population.  But Bouckeart says both sides are causing trouble.

“The violence is now coming mostly from the anti-Balaka militias who are systematically attacking Muslim neighborhoods but the Seleka fighters are still around.”