Oprørerne kun 160 km fra hovedstaden Bangui

Forfatter billede

Den humanitære situation i den konfliktramte Centralafrikanske Republik (CAR) er prekær. Hundredtusinder lever som internt fordrevne i områder uden sundhedsfaciliteter eller skoler. Omkring 700.000 i Bangui er nu i risikozonen.

NAIROBI, 4 January 2013 (IRIN) – A rebel takeover of several key towns in the Central African Republic (CAR) has placed additional strain on humanitarian conditions that were already precarious due to years of armed conflict. Access to populations in need and aid personnel on the ground are now significantly reduced.

That the rebels – grouped under the “Seleka” alliance – were able to advance to within 160km of the capital, Bangui, with little opposition from government forces underscores the absence of state infrastructure in much of the country. In many areas, basic healthcare and education are provided by aid groups or not at all.

“Population displacements have been reported in a number of areas, including Bangui, Ndélé and across the border into the Democratic Republic of Congo, from the Mobaye region in CAR and towards Bertoua in Cameroon,” the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a recentupdate.

“There are serious concerns about the protection of civilians across the country amid reports of widespread looting and violence. An estimated 316,000 people are living in the affected areas, and some 700,000 persons in Bangui are at further risk of an escalation in fighting,” the update said.

“A few humanitarian partners are responding to the most urgent emergency needs of displaced people in Ndélé and other areas, but temporary evacuations of humanitarian staff from affected areas due to the violence have disrupted a number of humanitarian programmes across the country,” it added. The grounding of UN aircraft, “the primary means of transport around CAR,” has also limited the activities of partners on the ground.

Medical needs

Areas with the most pressing needs include the towns of Ndélé, Bamingui,

Kabo, Batangafo, Kaga-Bandoro, Sam Ouandja, Bambari, Bria and Sibut.

“Increased military movements and clashes between rebels and the army have forced the civilian population to leave their homes, preventing them from accessing the basic services they need – medical aid, in particular,” medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said a 27 December statement. “This situation could have fatal consequences for people already struggling to find care after a decade of chronic armed violence had severely limited the country’s health system.”

Læs mere på http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97175/CENTRAL-AFRICAN-REPUBLIC-Rebel-advance-worsens-humanitarian-crisis