(UN/IRIN) The Central African Republic (CAR) has been in the throes of a humanitarian crisis for more than a decade. Army mutinies, coups and attempted coups, rebellions, gangs that kidnap for ransom and, more recently, elements of Uganda’s notorious Lord’s Resistance Army have made life for civilians, especially in the north, extremely challenging, unpredictable, and very dangerous.
Grave violations against children are being perpetrated by all parties to the various conflicts in the Central African Republic (CAR), including rape and armed recruitment into the fighting forces, according to a United Nations report released today.
Non-State armed groups and bandits are also kidnapping children as a means of recruitment and to threaten and extort ransom from the population, while abuses against youngsters generally are committed in a climate of impunity, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon writes in his latest report to the Security Council on children and armed conflict in CAR.
“I call on all parties to the conflict to immediately and without precondition cease the recruitment and use of children and to identify and release to the United Nations those children already in their ranks,” he says.
In the Central African Republic, UNICEF, with funding from the European Commission, is supporting bush schools to provide education and a sense of normalcy to displaced children.
The UNICEF representation in the Central African Republic has just published their monthly report for June 2008. It contains an excellent overview on the current humanitarian, political and security situation, as well as a description of UNICEF’s projects in CAR.
Here is the summary:
CAR is placed on the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission’s agenda
Peace agreement signed between the CAR government, APRD and UFDR
The UN Fund grants UNICEF US$5.8million to purchase 740,000 mosquito nets
UNICEF signs new agreements with COOPI, IMC, IPHD, IRC and Merlin
Mass vaccination campaign against Yellow Fever is held in northwestern CAR
International Day of the African Child is celebrated
The construction of 404 latrines is completed in northern CAR
Mission of the Peace Building Commission CAR configuration, 10 - 12 June
Supporting health care systems in Paoua and Ngaoundaye
Assistance to the displaced of Kamba Kota by the International Committee of the Red Cross
Mission to the far south east of CAR, 2 - 9 July
Background and security
Mission of the PBC CAR configuration
Pursuant to CAR having been placed on the agenda of the Peace Building Commission (PBC) on 12 June, a mission lead by Jan Grauls, Ambassador of Belgium with the United Nations and Chairperson of the CAR configuration of the PBC, visited Bangui from 10 to 12 July. Continue Reading »
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. Continue Reading »
By Gina Bramucci, IRC: After nearly two years of displacement, conflict-affected communities in Central African Republic are rebuilding and returning to their villages of origin. An International Rescue Committee (IRC) team in the northern region of Nana Gribizi has been implementing emergency response, environmental health, health, protection, Gender Based Violence (GBV) and education programming since February 2007.
As Internal Displaced People (IDP) started moving back toward their villages in early 2008, IRC’s protection team worked with returnees to identify extremely individuals in need of support. Communities came together to help elderly people isolated from their families, children without guardians, people living with illness or disability, and women raising their families alone. Continue Reading »
More than 2,700 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are currently living on a site near Kabo, Central African Republic, and new people are arriving every day. Returning from the site, a joint evaluation mission, including staff from OCHA and BONUCA, as well as donor representatives, described the humanitarian situation as very precarious.
Meeting with the mayor of Kabo, members of the mission were told that NGOs had been successful in addressing the most urgent problems. For example, the NGO Solidarités installed a water pump providing clean drinking water on the IDP site and the local health centre receives help from Medecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Continue Reading »
At the same time that UNHCR is registering 10,500 new refugees from the Béhili area in north west CAR, a substantial number of Central African refugees are returning from Chad to the area of Moyenne Sido and Kabo, only 50km east of Béhili. These returning refugees fled the Central African Republic during 2002 and 2003, and were living at Yaroungou camp in Chad.
In Moyenne Sido, people are constructing hundreds of grass huts
Over the past few days, a site with thousands of people – between 3,000 and 5,000 – constructing hundreds of grass huts has sprung up just outside Moyenne Sido. Continue Reading »
Several thousands of women and young girls have endured rape and other sexual violence in the conflict-torn north of the Central African Republic (CAR). Research suggests that sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) strikes well over 15 percent of women and girls in the region.
Rape cases are being reported in northern CAR on a weekly basis. The most recent reports mention two twelve-year old girls, who were raped while searching for firewood in the bush near their shelter. A local newspaper also described the ordeal of a thirteen-year old girl assaulted earlier this month on her way to sell palm oil at a market. Health workers in the western province of Nana-Mambéré have expressed shock at the increasing number of rapes of women and girls. Continue Reading »
(New York/Bangui): John Holmes, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, today made clear his deep concern about the 50,000 Central Africans who have fled into Chad.
“Over the past two months alone, nearly 6,000 Central Africans escaping from violence in northern CAR [Central African Republic] have arrived in southern Chad. These are people who have lost everything. The current crisis in Chad means that they risk being uprooted and displaced again,” said Mr. Holmes. Continue Reading »
Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) and United Nations agencies together have ranked all projects in the emergency appeal for the Central African Republic (CAR), which is a part of the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) for 2008.
Overall, 37 of 75 projects in the country’s appeal were identified as ‘high’ or ‘immediate’ priority. These projects, which carry a price tag of $29 million, will provide life-saving assistance to 1 million people, including 200,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 3,000 Sudanese refugees. Continue Reading »
It is a hot afternoon in Bouar – the sun is blazing down over the houses on the hill slopes that make up CAR’s third largest town. We are on a United Nations inter-agency mission in western CAR, near the border with Cameroon and right on the trading route which connects the landlocked capital Bangui with the Douala port in the neighbouring country. The objective is to assess the humanitarian situation in what was once one of the wealthier areas in CAR: indeed, a healthy cotton industry and a steady stream of visitors made it one of the country’s main economic hubs. Continue Reading »
(New York/Bangui, 23 January 2008). A new wave of internal displacement in the Central African Republic’s northern region has prompted the opening of the first camp for internally displaced people in the country. These recent population movements are a result of an increase in violence perpetrated by zaraguinas, or bandits. Continue Reading »
Several thousand villagers have fled their homes in the Ouham prefecture, north-western Central African Republic. By 18 October, at least 1,800 people are said to have arrived in Kabo, while at least 750 sought refuge in Gbaïzera, 40 km south of Kabo. The rise in internal displacement poses a significant challenge to humanitarian aid organizations, many of which have little access to the region. Continue Reading »
The Humanitarian and Development Partnership Team (HDPT) unites all organizations working to alleviate the humanitarian and development crisis in the Central African Republic: United Nations agencies, the Red Cross Movement, NGOs and other organizations. For more information, visit About HDPT CAR or email us at info[at]hdptcar.net
Interviews with Dr Ione
Dr Ione describes her incredible experiences in the Central African Republic. A thrilling eye-witness account of the country’s history.
Grave violations against children are being perpetrated by all parties to the various conflicts in the Central African Republic (CAR), including rape and armed recruitment into the fighting forces, according to a United Nations report released today.
The UNICEF representation in the Central African Republic has just published their monthly report for June 2008. It contains an excellent overview on the current humanitarian, political and security situation, as well as a description of UNICEF’s projects in CAR.
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.
By Gina Bramucci, IRC: After nearly two years of displacement, conflict-affected communities in Central African Republic are rebuilding and returning to their villages of origin. An 
At the same time that UNHCR is registering 10,500 new refugees from the Béhili area in north west CAR, a substantial number of Central African refugees are returning from Chad to the area of Moyenne Sido and Kabo, only 50km east of Béhili. These returning refugees fled the Central African Republic during 2002 and 2003, and were living at Yaroungou camp in Chad.
Several thousands of women and young girls have endured rape and other sexual violence in the conflict-torn north of the Central African Republic (CAR). Research suggests that sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) strikes well over 15 percent of women and girls in the region. 
(New York/Bangui): John Holmes, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, today made clear his deep concern about the 50,000 Central Africans who have fled into Chad.
Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) and United Nations agencies together have ranked all projects in the emergency appeal for the Central African Republic (CAR), which is a part of the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) for 2008.
It is a hot afternoon in Bouar – the sun is blazing down over the houses on the hill slopes that make up CAR’s third largest town. We are on a United Nations inter-agency mission in western CAR, near the border with Cameroon and right on the trading route which connects the landlocked capital Bangui with the Douala port in the neighbouring country. The objective is to assess the humanitarian situation in what was once one of the wealthier areas in CAR: indeed, a healthy cotton industry and a steady stream of visitors made it one of the country’s main economic hubs. 
