BANGUI: Three protesters were killed in the capital of the Central African Republic on Monday when UN peacekeepers opened fire on several hundred people marching on the president’s office, a hospital source said.

A further seven were injured by gunfire as the crowd headed for the presidency to demand the resignation of interim president Catherine Samba Panza following weekend violence in Bangui that claimed at least 20 lives, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Samba Panza is in New York attending the UN General Assembly.

After the break-up of the protest, shooting broke out elsewhere in the city, and the hospital source said a teenager had died after being hit by “a stray bullet”.

Bangui was tense throughout the day on Monday, with barricades thrown up across the heart of the city and French and UN peacekeepers positioned at key points after the breakout of violence this weekend. More than 20 people were killed in Saturday’s violence.