About 1,400 displaced people are living in the village of Kamba Kota (Ouham) in terrible health and security conditions. They fled their villages following attacks by armed bandits, who reportedly killed 37 people. The banditry victims come from Kambandja, Kassai and Kagoué II villages on the road to Ouogo to the north of Kamba Kota.

The joint mission of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the United Nations Office in the Central African Republic (BONUCA) who located these displaced people expressed concern about their health and security.

At the moment, these displaced people get water from the river and eat mainly cassava leaves. Their huts are made of branches and foliage. Access to health care is made difficult by the system of cost recovery applied by the local health center (patients must pay a fee). In spite of these challenges, the displaced are planning for the future: with the help of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), they started building a school which will soon be operational. Displaced children will soon be able to get a sense of normalcy and resume their education.

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NRC arrived in CAR in July 2007 and is now implementing an emergency education projects in the Ouham prefecture. The organisation is operating in 40 schools giving much needed education to some 12.300 children. The project activities includes the provision of school kits and furniture, the training of the 179 maitres parents, as well as the training of the members of the Associations des Parents d’Elève in school management. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF) and the Emergency Response Fund (ERF) are supporting the project financially. The Ministry of Education initiated the project and NRC works in close cooperation with the Ministry. As needs for primary education are enormous both in Ouham and Ouham-Pendé, NRC is planning for an expansion of its education program in 2009, subject to funding.

With populations of respectively 398,179 and 464,272, Ouham and Ouham Pende are the country’s most populated regions after Bangui. But because of recurring attacks and chronic insecurity, an estimated 74,000 people fled their villages and live as internally displaced persons (IDPs).The peace deal signed between the Government and the Populad Army for the Restauration of Democracy (APRD) significantly reduced political tensions in the north west. However, the general level of security has shown little signs of improvement. As soldiers and rebels have laid down their arms, attacks by road bandits are becoming increasingly frequent in the remote regions of the interior. If security is to be restored, increasing state presence and military capacity will be CAR’s next challenge.

For more information on the situation in Kamba Kota: legast@unhcr.org
For more information on the NRC: country.director@car.nrc.no