BANGUI, Central African Republic — Two Moroccan U.N. peacekeepers in Central African Republic (MINUSCA) were killed and another wounded by unknown attackers. Bangui authorities say the peacekeepers with the United Nations have been killed in the southeast corner of the Central African Republic. The peacekeepers were escorting fuel trucks on Tuesday afternoon about 60 kilometres (37 miles) west of the town of Obo when they were attacked, the mission said in a statement, adding that the assailants fled into the bush.

MINUSCA's interim spokeswoman Uwolowulakana Ikavi-Gbétanou said Wednesday that a third peacekeeper was seriously wounded. It was not immediately known which armed group was responsible for the attack.  Central African Republic descended into chaos in 2013 when mainly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power in the majority Christian nation, ousting then-President Francois Bozize and sparking a backlash from Christian militias.

U.N. peacekeepers took over from a regional peacekeeping force in 2014 and have been working to stabilize a country where armed Muslim and Christian militias once fought in the street in the capital. Last month, U.N. sanctions monitors said that violence was spreading despite successful polls that elected a new government last February. Human Rights Watch said a new armed group had killed at least 50 civilians in a growing campaign to control parts of the northwest. The U.N. mission has 13,000 peacekeepers on the ground, but some civilians complain that it does not do enough to protect them against dozens of armed groups.

Africa Team