Highlights

• Appointment of Joseph Binguimalé as the head of the Independent Electoral Commission
• Nearly 475 Central African refugees in the Democratic Republic of Congo
• The Deputy Executive Director of United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Hilde Johnson visited CAR
• “Reducing the impact of soaring food prices in CAR”

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Highlights

• Baba Laddé, Chadian leader of the rebel group FRP, expelled by the government
• Abdoulaye Miskine of FDPC denounces 2007 peace agreements
• Arrival of new NGO Community Humanitarian Emergency Board (COHEB)
• Establishment of a multifunctional platform (PFMF) in Paoua
• Sahle-Work Zewde, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations (SRSG), visited Birao

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As part of its multi-donor program which aims at recovering the agropastoral sector in Ouham Pendé prefecture (northern CAR), the Danish Council for Refugees (DRC) supported the establishment of a multifunctional platform (MFP) in Paoua, a first in CAR. This initiative aims, using a pilot community approach, to provide an energy source (generator) that supplies supplying various kinds of production equipment, such as mills, crushers, peelers, welding stations, etc.
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Highlights

• The NGO Coopi was attacked by LRA gunmen in Obo prefecture (south-eastern CAR)
• FPR forces withdraw from Nana-Gribizi prefecture, destination unknown
• New documentary film about orphans funded by French Development Agency (AFD), highlighting difficult conditions and numerous challenges
• Workshop on the humanitarian strategy in 2010 to formulate the Coordinated Appeals Process (CAP) for humanitarian projects in 2010, including around 70 participants

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Highlights

• Humanitarian evaluation and response mission in Mboki/Obo
• DDR caravan in Bangui for awareness-raising campaign
• Arrival of UNDP country director

Background and security

Humanitarian evaluation mission in the far east
Following a recent spate of attacks by elements of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), both in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and in several villages in the far east of the Central African Republic, including looting, abduction and killings, a joint mission comprising UN agencies and international and national NGOs left Bangui on Wednesday 19 August bound for Mboki and Obo.

The aim of the mission is both to evaluate current unmet needs and to deliver humanitarian aid to vulnerable people.

At the moment, the mission is in Mboki, 75km south of Obo. Initial analysis of the current situation concerning the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees present suggest a greater number than expected, and refugees continue to arrive.

A team from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also left Bangui on 21 August bound for the far east.

On 17 August, a few days previously, inhabitants of Gougbéré, 8km from Obo, spotted an LRA scout in the vicinity and called the Ugandan army contingent based in Obo to patrol the area. The scout was subsequently arrested and remains in detention.
Some inhabitants of Central African villages suffering from LRA attacks are believed to have fled to South Sudan.

For more information: Alexis Mbolinani, JUPEDEC| (236) 70 40 70 42| mbolinani@yahoo.fr

Awareness-raising caravan for DDR in Bangui
On Saturday 22 August a caravan took to the streets of the capital to raise awareness and provide information on the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) campaign, officially launched by the government on 13 August.

According to participants, the aim of the caravan is to explain the why and how of the DDR process to both ex-combattants and the general population of Bangui.

Organised by the Ministry of Communication and National Reconciliation, the caravan included banners throughout the city, and distributed T-shirts.

Current events

World Humanitarian Day celebrated in CAR
The inaugural World Humanitarian Day was celebrated on Wednesday 19 August in the capital, with a ceremony and an exhibition of UN agencies and national and international NGOs showcasing the various humanitarian activities currently being carried out in the country.

«Head of OCHA’s Paoua sub-office giving blood»

Coordinated by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the celebration was attended by the Central African Prime Minister, Faustin Archange Touadera, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ms Sahle-Work Zewde and the interim Humanitarian Coordinatior, Ms Sitta Kai-Kai.

The day was an occasion for the general public to discover more about humanitarian work in different sectors, understand what projects are being carried out, how they are organised and financed, and how they benefit the population.

During the exhibition, films were shown highlighting the humanitarian situation in the north-west and the recent visit by the Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Ms Catherine Bragg, allowing the people of Bangui to better understand the situation of IDPs and people living in vulnerable regions across the north.

In Paoua, in the north-west of the country, the local authorities joined the humanitarian communities in celebrating the day with various activities including donation of blood by staff and authorities to help the regional hospital in Paoua, managed by the French division of Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF).

The aim of the blood drive is to help save lives in this area of the country which has seen years of military-political crises. The hospital currently has a severe shortage of blood, with 140 bags required for the paediatric ward alone. Needs are particularly high during the rainy season running from June to October, due to the elevated incidences of malaria with anemia.

For more information: Nick Imboden, OCHA| (236) 75 54 63 55| imboden@un.org
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Highlights

• 1,207 refugees and 2,725 displaced in the far east
• Gabonese contingent of MICOPAX in Paoua
• Precarious humanitarian situation of IDPs in the Kabo region

Background and security

1,207 refugees and 2,725 displaced in the far east
As a result of attacks of fighters of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) on the villages of Gassimbala (15 km east of Obo) and Koubou (10 km east of Obo), the majority of the villages’ inhabitants have fled to Obo town fearing the violence of the attacks.

According to a survey conducted on 17 August by members of the NGO United Youth for the Protection of the Environment and Community Development (JUPEDEC), 225 people have arrived from Gassimbala and 281 people from Koubou.

Three of the people (two men and a woman) captured by the LRA during the previous attacks on Gougbere in order to help carry their loot, were set free by their captors on 15 August at Kerre 2 as they moved north-west. Other abducted people remain in the hands of the LRA, including two girls of 13 and 14 years of age who were captured in Gougbere in an attack which cost the life of one villager.

According to JUPEDEC, there are now 1,207 refugees from DRC in CAR (849 in Mboki and 358 in Obo) fleeing LRA attacks south of the border, and a total of 2,725 IDPs from the villages of Gassimbala, Koubou, Ligoua, Gougbere, Dindiri, Kamou and Ndigba who have all fled LRA attacks.

A joint mission of UN agencies and international NGOs left Bangui on Wednesday 19 August bound for Obo.

The aim of this mission is to bring humanitarian assistance to vulnerable people and assess currently.

For more information: Alexis Mbolinani, JUPEDEC| (236) 70 40 70 42| mbolinani@yahoo.fr and Joseph Benamse, OCHA| (236) 70 98 82 34| benamse@un.org

Gabonese MICOPAX contingent in Paoua
On Monday August the new commander of the Peace-building Mission in CAR (MICOPAX), General Hector Marie Tchemo, took command in a ceremony led by President François Bozizé.

During the ceremony, the President reaffirmed the importance of MICOPAX to the current peace process.

The Gabonese contingent is starting its deployment in CAR in Paoua, in the north-west.

Current events

13 August: DDR programme officially launched
“The Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reinsertion (DDR) programme begins today”, the Central African President François Bozizé announced on 13 August in Paoua in the north-west during the celebrations for the 49th anniversary of CAR independence.

The ceremony was attended by Jean-Jacques Démafouth, first vice-president of the DDR steering committee and president of the Popular Army for the Restauration of Democracy (APRD), one of the major armed groups controlling most of Ouham-Pendé prefecture in CAR’s north-west.

According to the Minister of Communication, Cyriaque Gonda, the first phase of the programme involves an information and awareness-raising campaign and will last from 13 August to 13 September. The second phase, identification of the ex-rebel combatants, will follow thereafter.

The Minister continued by saying that the DDR process will be implemented in five prefectures, across the north, notably Ouham Pendé, Ouham, Nana-Gribizi, Haute Kotto and the Vakaga. It will involve between 6,000 and 10,000 ex-combatants, and the process is expected to last for 36 months.

Human rights training for heads of orphanages
“Closer understanding of the needs of orphans” is the central theme of a training event which started on 17 August for about 40 teachers and heads of orphanages in the city of Bangui. The training, organised by the NGO Christian Action for Compassion (ACC) in partnership with the UN Peace-building office in CAR (BONUCA) aims to reinforce the capacities of these leaders following a participatory approach.

It also aims to educate the participants on the basic principles of human rights.

The ACC president, Ms Boubandé, said, “given the current context of repeated armed conflicts in certain regions of the country, we think that it is urgent to launch a large-scale awareness-building campaign for our leaders, in order to equip them with sufficient knowledge of human rights as well as to fight against all forms of violence and violation of these rights.”
She continued by saying that the training would help to return hope to vulnerable orphans, children and women.
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Highlights

• Arrest of five LRA officers
• French visit to WFP food distribution in Paoua
• Official Launch in Paoua of the DDR programme
• Needs evaluation for neonatal healthcare

Background and security

Capture of 5 LRA officers in the south-east
According to local authorities, on Wednesday 5 August the Ugandan Army unit currently based in Obo, in CAR’s far south-east, captured five officers of the rebel group Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) after clashes in the village of Goubéré, 5km from Obo.

The same sources confirmed that some villagers were able to rapidly warn the Ugandan contingent after the LRA attack on their village.

The five officers captured, including a Captain, are likely to be transferred to Kampala by the Ugandans.

The number of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo has now risen to 1,500, split between the towns of Obo and Mboki, 75km further west.

Current events

Visit by French Ambassador to WFP food distribution in Paoua
Invited by the UN’s World Food Program (WFP), the French Ambassador to CAR Jean-Pierre Vidon made a field visit to the Paoua sub-prefecture in the north-west of the country.

During his visit, the Ambassador took part in the distribution of food at Bekila 2, 20km from Paoua, to displaced people who are currently living in the bush too afraid to return to their villages and fields.

The distribution benefited 1,782 people displaced from six villages, who received 29 tons of food including corn flour, salt, beans and cooking oil.

Mr Vidon stated that the aim of the visit was to reaffirm France’s solidarity with Central Africans in distress. He cited the various financial contributions made by France since 2007 to humanitarian agencies and NGOs including WFP, FAO, Solidarités, ACTED, and Première Urgence to help provide relief to people affected by conflicts and humanitarian disasters. According to the Ambassador, this support also helps boost development, improve communication and encourage children’s education. This is why France gave US $650,000 to WFP to help them respond to emergencies.

«The ambassador gives food aid to a displaced woman»

Welcoming the ambassador, the sub-prefect and the spokesman for the displaced community expressed their gratitude to all those working to help them but emphasised that a lot still needed to be done to help them return to their villages and get access to basic social services.

For more information: Sylvestre Ndayirukiye, OCHA | (236) 72 79 18 24| ndayirukiye@un.org

Social reinsertion for more than 300 unemployed women
The Minister for Social Affairs, Bernadette Sayo, together with the Minister of National Education Ambroise Zawa and the President of the Central African Association of Women Educators (AFEDEC), helped to launch a project for the training and reinsertion of unemployed young women in Bangui on 7 August.

According to Mr Zawa, the project not only aims to ensure professional training for more than 300 women but to identify those who are abroad to encourage them to return. Through the project, he asserted, the women would obtain qualifications in the fields of marketing, public relations, hospitality and fashion.

To further help young women facing deadlines for the Baccalaureate, AFEDEC had organised a refresher training for 210 female students from less stable backgrounds currently in the 3rd and final school grades. This training enabled them to get better results in the examinations. The association also organised a competition to get more than 200 girls express their points of views and aspirations on how the government and civil society organisations can contribute to their well-being.

AFEDEC is currently looking for funding to support orphaned students who have obtained their Baccalaureate ‘C’ with distinction and who would like to study medicine. The association is also seeking funding to set up a centre for girls not in education who are currently living in Bangui (including those not from the capital) and to continue support to those unemployed women currently being trained, to start in their chosen careers.

For more information: Mme Dorothée Malénzapa, AFEDEC | (236) 75 50 63 29| dmalenzapa@yahoo.fr
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Highlights

• Displacement following attacks by LRA in far east
• Improving education in Ndélé
• Reviving cotton-farming in Ouham-Pendé
• $2,800,000 from CERF for underfunded CAR

Background and security

Displacement towards Obo in far east following attacks by LRA
According to local authorities, following attacks by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) on the villages of Goubéré (5km north-west of Obo) and Ligoua (20km south-east of Obo), more than 1,000 people from Goubéré have temporarily relocated to the prefectoral school in Obo town in the far east of CAR. A further 100 people from Ligoua are reported to be currently accommodated by host families in Obo.

News

Improving governance in CAR
On 30 and 31 July the Framework Programme for Governance and Decentralisation (PCGD) validated its report for the 2nd quarter and the workplan for the 3rd quarter. Participating at the meeting were, amongst others, the Ministries of Territorial Administration and Planning, the Prime Minister’s office, the National Assembly, the United Nations System and civil society organisations (CSOs).

After presenting the report on progress made in the various projects, the participants discussed the major challenges to overcome and established three levels of coordination (at the National Assembly, the High Commission for Decentralisation and one CSO to ensure coherent and harmonised management of the activities.

PCGD is working to build technical and infrastructural capacity in governmental institutions and CSOs. This support includes the construction and rehabilitation of the buildings which house them, provision of equipment and training and course-participation opportunities for their staff.

For more information: Bowoi Barry, PCGD | (236) 75 70 19 21| bowoi.barry@undp.org

Support for people living with HIV/AIDS
The National Committee for the Fight against HIV/AIDS (CNLS) has provided four ministries with a donation of four 4×4 vehicles and IT equipment, namely the Ministries of Health, National Education, Social Affairs and Justice.

At the presentation ceremony were the CNLS Coordinator, Ms Hyacinthe Wodobodé, and the four ministers and their representatives.

The CNLS donation specifically aims to facilitate work supporting orphans and vulnerable children.

In her speech, the CNLS Coordinator stated that “It is in the public interest that efforts made so far will be further intensified”.

For more information: Boniface Nganza, CNLS | (236) 75 04 18 61| boniface.nganza@gmail.com
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Highlights

• LRA attack in Mboki, arrival of new refugee
• Coordination for food security in CAR
• Visit by the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs in CAR

Background and security

Attack by members of the LRA on Mboki, arrival of new refugees
On Friday 24 July, members of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) attacked Mboki village, 75km south-east of Obo in the far east of the Central African Republic.

At 10:00am, the group of armed men coming from the Mbomou river (the border with DRC) launched their attack on the market of Mboki, killing two traders and injuring six others. The traders, also armed, returned fire, killing three of the attackers and injuring others.

Supported by the local population, these Chadian traders followed the LRA rebels as they fled into the bush, and recovered the bodies of a further four who had succumbed to their injuries.

The 350 Congolese refugees who had fled the DRC and were already registered in Obo have now been joined by a further 248 new arrivals in Mboki, bringing the total number of refugees in the region to 598.

For more information: Alexis Mbolinani, JUPEDEC | (236) 70 40 70 42 mbolinani@yahoo.fr

Arrival of the DRC contingent of the MICOPAX peace-keeping force
22 July saw the departure of the contingent of the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) in the peace-keeping force Mission for the Consolidation of Peace in CAR (MICOPAX), operating under the authority of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS / CEEAC).

They have been replaced for the next six months by a contingent from the the DRC Armed Forces (FARDC), as well as a contingent of military police from Equatorial Guinea, replacing that of the departing Congolese.

The departure and arrival ceremonies took place at the MICOPAX base at Bangui M’Poko airport.

Current events

Contingency planning and rapid response in conflict and post-conflict situations
Saturday 25 July was the last day of a 5-day teacher training workshop on the culture of peace and the prevention of conflicts, which was organised by the Programme of Education for Emergencies, and Reconstruction (PEER) being implemented in CAR by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in partnership with the NGO Japanese Centre for Conflict Prevention (JCCP).

The workshop brought together 10 national NGOs, the Association of Women Jurists, the Central African Association for the Fight against Violence, the Islamic Foundation for Peace and Development in CAR, the Central African Youth Mission, Youth for the Protection of the Environment and Community Development, the Birao Community Radio, the Central African Human Rights Observatory, the CAR Women’s Political Participation in Peace-building Platform and the Project for the Reduction of Small Arms.

The workshop was held to build and reinforce the capacities of civil society organisations and communities to anticipate, plan for and react to conflict and post-conflict situations.

The aim of the project is to contribute to the creation and strengthening of a network of local NGOs skilled at helping to prevent, respond to and resolve conflicts.

The workshop concluded by establishing a coordination team and an action plan for the following nine months, including awareness-raising, advocacy and capacity-building of community leaders to manage and mitigate conflicts in constructive, non-violent and sustainable ways. This is proposed to take place in five prefectures across the north: Ouham-Pende, Ouham, Nana-Gribizi, Bamingui-Bangoran and the Vakaga.

For more information: Parfait Malewaka, RPPC | (236) 75 20 49 66 pargilbert_malewaka@yahoo.fr
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Highlights

• Attack by LRA on Ligoua in the far east
• Humanitarian response to flooding in Bangui
• Visit of the UN Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs to CAR

Background and security

Attack by LRA on Ligoua in the south-east
On Tuesday 21 July, Elements of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) have attacked the population of Ligoua village, 20 kilometres south-east of Obo in the far east of CAR. Two people who were able to escape informed forces of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) currently at Obo, in Haut-Mbomou sub-prefecture.

These forces were subsequently deployed to counter the attack, and reportedly chased and killed some of the attackers.

The last attack by armed men on Ligoua took place on 20 June when a group of LRA fighters killed one person and seriously injured another, who remains under care in Obo.

Withdrawal of UFDR from the towns of Birao and Sam-Ouandja in the north-east
At the demand of the delegation of the Kara community (the majority ethnic group in Birao), made during mediation conducted by the Minister of Territorial Administration Elie Ouéfio on 2 and 3 July, the forces of the Union des Forces Démocratiques pour le Rassemblement (UFDR) – which are predominantly of Goula ethnicity – have withdrawn from Birao and are currently withdrawing from Sam-Ouandja.

The mediation by Minister Ouéfio occurred following two attacks on Birao on 6 and 21 June, during which several houses were burnt and more than 3,000 people where displaced or otherwise affected.

During the mediation process, representatives of the Kara community expressed the wish that the main UFDR camp being set up for the Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) process be moved from Birao to the Goula zone of influence around Tiringoulou.

Current events

Humanitarian response to floods in Bangui
Following various incidents of flooding in the capital city of Bangui, principally during the night of 3 and 4 July in the 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th districts, more than 10,000 affected people were in need of aid. Now humanitarian action has begun to improve the conditions of the flood-affected population.

The humanitarian response to date has consisted of the following : UNHCR (1,524 cooking kits, 2,500 blankets, 2 bales of clothing, 750 tarpaulins), UNICEF (750 tarpaulins, 1,500 mosquito nets, 1,500 sleeping mats), UNFPA (3,000 soaps, 6 antibiotic kits, 1,500 shawls, and a kit for the management of complications in abortion), WHO (a kit of basic medications sufficient for 1,000 people for 3 months), WFP (56 tonnes of food aid comprising cereals, oil, sugar and salt for 3,400 people for 1 month).

Additionally, MSF is helping by constructing temporary latrines and providing free health care and medicine. Volunteers of the Central African Red Cross, supported by the ICRC, are assisting the affected people.

The relief effort has been supported financially by China, represented by the chargé d’affaires of the Chinese Embassy Mr Gu, who have donated 14 million FCFA, as well as France, with the French Ambassador Mr Vidon donating more than 16 million FCFA.

On 15 July, CAR President François Bozizé visited the head quarters of the Central African Red Cross at the launch of a major distribution worth more than 12 million FCFA, comprising 12 tonnes of rice and manioc, 150kg of salt, 450kg of sugar, 900 litres of oil, 10,000 loaves of bread and 10,000 cans of sardines.

In order to combat future floods, the World Bank has allocated up to 86 million FCFA for the Emergency Project for the Rehabilitation of Infrastructure and Urban Services (PURISU) in the town of Bangui.
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Highlights

• Chad releases the rebel group CPJP’s president
• 11 July : World Population Day
• Chinese support for the fight against malaria in CAR

Background and security

Release of Charles Massi, President of the CPJP
The president of the political council of the Patriotic Convention for Justice and Peace (CPJP), Charles Massi, was released from detention in Ndjamena, Chad, on Wednesday 8 July.

According to Chadian authorities, Mr Massi was arrested in Chad on 15 May for “intention to subvert a neighbouring country from Chad”.

According to Chad’s Minister of the Interior, Ahmat Bachir, “After having conducted enquiries, we have concluded that he did not have subversive intentions against the Central African Republic, and therefore he could only be released”.

Mr Massi commented, “I hope that Chadian mediation will be able to further the peace process in CAR”.

Current events

French support for the 2010 elections in CAR
The French Ambassador to CAR, Jean-Pierre Vidon, announced on Monday 13 July that his country will support the 2010 country-wide elections.

The announcement was made at a press conference held at the chancellery of the French Embassy in Bangui, on the eve of the 220nd celebration of the French National Day.

According to Ambassador Vidon, France is particularly committed to the staging of free, transparent and democratic elections, as they represent one of the most important elements in the process of stabilising the country and consolidating peace. This follows on from their commitment to the previous elections held 5 years previously in 2005, which permitted the conclusion of the process of constitutional transition.

For more information: Michael Deslaims, French Embassy | (236) 75 20 16 15| michael.deslaims@diplomatie.gouv.fr

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Highlights

• Peace agreement between government with FDPC
• Humanitarian corridor Ndélé (CAR)-Daha (Chad)
• Bangui floods – over 10,000 people affected

Background and security

FDPC signs peace agreement
On Friday, July 3 in Syrte in Libya, a comprehensive peace agreement was signed between the Central African government and the Front Démocratique du Peuple Centrafricain (FDPC) on the sidelines of the 13th summit of the African Union.

The signatures on the document are of the FDPC leader, General Abdoulaye Miskine and of the Minister of State for Communications with responsibility for National Reconciliation, Cyriaque Gonda. The ceremony took place in the presence of Dr. Azeri Abash El Madame, General Secretary of CEN-SAD from the Committee of Sahalian states.

Under this agreement, the FDPC has agreed to enter into the process of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR).

Following the signing, an FDPC delegation left Syrte for Bangui in a plane carrying the government delegation, FDPC leader Miskine is still in Libya but expected soon in Bangui.

Inter-agency mission to Obo in Car’s east
A joint United Nations mission went to Obo for an evaluation mission from June 25 to July 6. The mission was made up of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), World Food Program (WFP), and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The mission’s aims were to evaluate the humanitarian needs of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo in Obo and prepare a timely response.

More than 209 people - over 50% women and children – have found temporary shelter in the church of Africa Inland Mission (AIM) in Obo.

These refugees are from Congolese towns near the CAR border, amongst them former prisoners of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) who said they had fled following atrocities committed by LRA rebels.

«Temporary IDP site at AIM church»

News

Humanitarian corridor from CAR to Chad
265 tons of food from the World Food Program (WFP) composed of two months of food rations for 17,000 Central African refugees at Daha in southern Chad has arrived safely at its destination. The operation was carried out with the written permission of Chiefs of Staff of the CAR armed forces and the facilitation of the Department of Safety and Security United Nations (UNDSS), OCHA and local authorities.

21 trucks and 2 4*4 vehicles left Ndélé on July 5 to travel to Daha in Chad via Ngarba in CAR along the humanitarian corridor.

This four-day operation has enabled the Central African refugees who have fled violence in the north east to be reached with humanitarian assistance.
At the end of the operation, other urgent needs such as rehabilitation of the road and difficulties for humanitarians in accessing the road have been identified.

Evaluations are ongoing for emergency rehabilitation of the section concerned, in collaboration with the local community.

The United Nations system in Car is grateful to the authorities and those of Chad and all those who played a role in facilitating this humanitarian corridor. It re-iterates its commitment to cooperation and working in transparency with those in need.
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Highlights

• Vakaga - humanitarian challenges
• ECOFAC based attacked at Manovo park
• Support for education projects in Ndélé

Background and security

Violence in Vakaga region
On 25 June, the heads of UN agencies and the United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) in Central Africa along with the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) visited the town of Birao.

The visit aimed to analyze the current context and its humanitarian consequences on the population of Birao who have been affected by attacks on the city by armed groups on June 6 and 21 following which humanitarian workers sought refuge at the MINURCAT base in Birao until calm was restored.

This series of attacks reflects growing tension between the ethnic group linked to the l’Union des Forces Démocratiques pour le Rassemblement (UFDR), the Goula, and the other main ethnic group in the region, the Kara.

At least 3,000 people have been affected by the attacks, and a significant number of houses were burnt to the ground.

United Nations humanitarian organisations in the Central African Republic have expressed their deep concern on the spiralling violence in the Vakaga, a region where more than 60,000 people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

ECOFAC base at Manovo park under attack
On Tuesday June 23 at 4 pm, a group of about thirty armed men entered the village of Manovo in a national park about 30 km east of Ndélé in CAR’s north-east. Manovo is where the Ecosystème Forestier en Afrique Centrale (ECOFAC) has their base; ECOFAC are responsible for the monitoring and conservation of wildlife.

The attackers, taking advantage of some time off for the ECOFAC employees, fired a number of shots, causing panic amongst the local population. The assailants then attacked the home of the park’s director and some trackers, and proceeded to loot ECOFAC property including a vehicle, radios and motor bicycles.

Two guards, along with their families, chose to join the attackers who reportedly fled in the direction of the north-west.

The Central African Armed Forces (FACA) secured the village on 24 June but the local people have not yet returned home.

News

Support for education projects in Ndélé
NGO ACTED has just completed work on 2 blocs of 2 latrines and 1 school building with 3 classrooms, a shop and a principal’s office in the town of Ndélé in CAR’s North-east.

The project involved the local workforce and the provision of construction materials (sand and rubble), with the technical support of ACTED, as well as the World Food Program (WFP)’s ‘Food for Work’ programme and some financing from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Carried out over a period of 7 months, this project aims to contribute towards an improvement of the quality of teaching for the schoolchildren of Ndélé and its outskirts.

Other schools have been identified for the same approach.

«Classroom built by ACTED»

For more information: Yannick Deville, ACTED | (236) 72 29 50 06 | yannick.deville@acted.org

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Highlights

• FACA and CPJP clash at Akoursoulbak
• Political bridge between CAR and the UN
• Response to polio cases in Paoua

Background and security

FACA and CPJP clashes
On the 12th of June, fighting broke out between the Central African Armed Forces (FACA) and the Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP) at the entrance of Akoursoulbak village 80 km north of Ndélé in CAR’s North-east.

A column of FACA vehicles came under fire in an ambush by the CPJP. According to the Central African authorities, the death toll is 3 on the FACA side and 15 on the CPJP side. FACA reinforcements have subsequently been deployed to the region as of the 14th of June to secure all exits from Ndélé town.

The Chairman of the CPJP’s political council Charles Massi has been held in detention in Chad for over a month, he is to be charged with the “attempted subversion of a country from neighbouring Chad” according to the Chadian authorities.

Self-defence group clashes with APRD
On the 9th and 10th of June, at the village of Kangatou 120 kms south west of Paoua, clashes took place between the Popular Army for the Restoration of Democracy (APRD) and elements of self-defence groups from Bilakaré village, about 20 kms from Kangatou in CAR’s North-west.

Some displaced people who had been returning to their villages in recent times in the region have now left their villages again. More than a hundred families fled to the city of Bocaranga from areas where there was fighting. These families have temporarily occupied the classrooms of Bocaranga high school.

News

Protection Cluster workshop
On the 8the and 9th of June, the Protection Cluster brought together national and international NGOs, public administration and representatives of displaced people for a workshop to re-frame the cluster’s objectives and reflect on a shared strategy of protection and government accountability.
Among the topics covered was the protection of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), the challenges facing the cluster as well as its role in humanitarian reform.

According to the representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Aminata Gueye, this workshop aimed to harness the two days’ ideas and energy in order to achieve greater results, given expertise and resources.

The representative of the Minister of State for Planning, Isabelle Gaudeuille, stressed the need to take into account all the needs and vulnerabilities of IDPs.

The recommendations of this workshop include conflict prevention, advocacy as well as capacity building for the safeguarding of human rights.

For more information: Charlemagne Kekou, UNHCR | (236) 75 02 38 77 | kekou@unhcr.org
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Highlights

• UFDR under fire in Birao
• Former LRA members back in CAR
• World Environment Day 2009

Background and security

UFDR Birao base under attack
On Saturday the 6th of June at 6 a.m. Birao was at the centre of fighting between the Union des Forces Démocratiques pour le Rassemblement (UFDR, majority Goula) and armed members of the Kara community who sought revenge for the killing of one of their leaders by the UFDR.

When fighting ceased at 7 a.m., the Togolese contingent of the UN troops in Birao, the Mission des Nations Unies en RCA et au Tchad (MINURCAT), escorted members of NGOs based at Birao to their base on the outskirts of the town. The NGOs spent 2 nights at the base under MINURCAT protection.

All humanitarian operations have been suspended in and around the town of Birao. Reports indicate that 2 people from the Kara community died in the fighting.

Exchange of gunfire near Kabo town
On Friday the 5th of June, shots were heard for more than half an hour outside Kabo – no movements of population or impact on humanitarian activities have been reported.

Ndélé – reduction of humanitarian staff
Following tensions in town last weekend, NGOs in Ndélé town have reduced the number of humanitarian staff in the town.

News

LRA members back home in CAR
5 former members of Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army were repatriated back to the Central African Republic on 2 June, accompanied by 2 officials from the Disarmament, Demobilization, Repatriation, Reintegration and Resettlement (DDRRR) of the United Nations Mission in DRC (MONUC). On their arrival, the 5 former LRA fighters were placed under the protection of the Central African United Nations Peace Building Office (BONUCA).
The return of these 5 individuals was made possible when they disarmed voluntarily at the MONUC base and put themselves forward for voluntary repatriation.

For more information: Ms Aissatou Laba Touré, BONUCA | (236) 75 50 85 95 | tourea@un.org
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