08/25/2015

Central African Republic: 21 killed in inter-religious conflicts

Forgotten by the world: 840,000 refugees are waiting for support and reconstruction (Press Release)

© UN Photo/Catianne Tijerina

Even after the end of the ethnic cleansing in the Central African Republic, there are repeated outbreaks of violence between Christian and Muslim militias. Thus, according to information by the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), at least 21 people got killed in Bambari in the center of the country since Thursday of last week. “The Central African Republic is still a powder keg, characterized by lawlessness, impunity and the reign of violence of the militias, especially in the rural areas,” said Ulrich Delius, the STP’s Africa-consultant in Göttingen on Tuesday. “More help is needed to rebuild the country and to reintegrate the about 840,000 refugees. The Central African Republic will not come to peace unless there are perspectives for the young people – other than joining the militias.”

The bloody clashes in Bambari occurred as a consequence of the death of a young Muslim. In the night from Sunday to Monday, there was heavy fighting, and most of the town’s inhabitants fled into the bush. On Saturday before, the Christian population had publicly demonstrated for better protection by the UN soldiers. The about 30,000 Muslims who are still living in the country are not adequately protected either. There are continued clashes between the Muslim Seleka and the Christian Anti-Balaka fighters – especially in the west of the country.

Although the situation in the capital Bangui has become more stable, there are clashes there too. At the beginning of August, five people were killed in a militia attack in Bangui. Twelve people got killed in clashes between Anti-Balaka militiamen and Peulh nomads on August 2/3.

Sixteen months after UN peacekeepers were deployed to protect the civilian population from further atrocities, about one fifth of the population of the Central African Republic are on the run. About 2.7 million people are dependent on humanitarian aid from abroad. Around 370,000 people live as IDPs in other parts of the country, while 471,000 people have sought refuge in the neighboring countries. Often, their living conditions are precarious – especially for the 350,000 refugees living in Cameroon and the Congo. In the camps, there is often a lack of bare necessities. “These refugees are unable to escape to Europe. The rest of the world seems to have forgotten them, and nobody really seems to care about the conflict in the Central African Republic,” criticized Delius.