Government troops and rebel forces in the Central African Republic (CAR) continue to clash despite ongoing talks of a peace agreement, and nearly 300,000 people had been driven from their homes as of last month, according to a United Nations update.
Even more worrying are the attacks by Coupeur de Route bandits, who continue to wreak havoc across the country’s northwest, burning and looting houses and kidnapping and killing civilians, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported.
KAOTISKE TILSTANDE
Many villagers have fled in terror. Attacks on humanitarian workers are also becoming disturbingly common, the agency said.
The ongoing insecurity has also led to the complete decimation of public infrastructure across the north. Many schools and hospitals remain closed due to the conflict and thousands of families have lost their homes and possessions.
Economic development is stagnating in much of the north and jobs remain in short supply. This chronic poverty combined with the direct impact of the conflict is severely undermining many families’ ability to provide for their children, according to UNICEF.
INVOLVERER MANGE LANDE
Overall, 1,000,000 people gave been affected by the ongoing conflict, mainly in the northwest, in part linked to the strife in neighbouring Sudan’s Darfur region and Chad, with 197,000 people displaced internally, in many cases living in the bush, and a further 98,000 fleeing to Cameroon, Chad and Sudan.
In return, CAR has received thousands of refugees from Chad and Sudan.
KLASSISK “GLEMT” KATASTROFE
In the northern prefectures, more than 610,000 women and children continue to endure chronic poverty and conflict which has been responsible for decimating both lives and livelihoods.
A classic example of a “forgotten emergency,” CAR has suffered from more than a decade of political instability. Some 20 per cent of children die before their fifth birthday.
Kilde: www.un.org
