Ved et møde i det plagede fattige land, der ligger nord for DR Congo, appellerede topembedsmænd i FN om at stoppe misbrug og overgreb og gøre mere for at beskytte civilbefolkningen.
BANGUI; 22 April 2013, (UN News Service): “Foremost at this time is the urgent need to establish law and order throughout the country and to protect civilians from abuse,” Jeffrey Feltman, the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs said in the country’s capital, Bangui.
“There must be a stop to the killing, the looting (plyndinger), the attacks on civilian population, the violations of human rights and the violent confrontations targeting parts of the population,” he added, addressing in particular sexual violence and the recruitment of children into armed groups.
“Those who have seized power must shoulder their responsibilities and control those elements under their command,” he stressed.
1,2 mio. udsatte
Since the Séléka rebel coalition launched an offensive in December, 1,2 million people have been cut off from essential services and human rights violations have been widespread.
A peace accord, known as the Libreville Agreements, was signed on 11 of January in Gabon, calling for the establishment of National Transitional Council that would elect a transitional (overgangs) government.
The rebels, however, claiming the Government was not complying with its obligations under the accord, continued to gain territory and overran Bangui in late March.
Den glemte krise – og en advarsel fra Haag
“The Central African Republic cannot continue to be the ‘forgotten crisis’ that emerges briefly on the international radar screen and then slips back into oblivion (glemsel) until the next tragic flare-up,” Jeffrey Feltman said.
At least 4,1 million people, almost half of whom are children, have been directly affected by the crisis and more than 37.000 people have fled the extremely poor country in the past four months due to the violence.
Also Monday, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, warned those committing serious crimes against civilians in the Central African Republic that the situation was “under close scrutiny (granskning) by my office.”
“This Court exists to end impunity (straffrihed) for such crimes and our jurisdiction covers the whole of the Central African Republic,” she stressed from the Hague, concluding:
“The people of the Central African Republic have already suffered too much. I will not hesitate to prosecute those responsible for their suffering.”
