CAR refugee mission hit with violence.

Thousands of internally displaced people flee site in Alindao, in latest violent incident in the Central African Republic. Dozens of bodies have been found after an attack on CAR refugee mission. The Central African Republic (CAR), which got independence from France in 1960, has always..

CAR refugee mission hit with violence

Thousands of internally displaced people flee site in Alindao, in latest violent incident in the Central African Republic.

Dozens of bodies have been found after an attack on CAR refugee mission.

Background

The Central African Republic (CAR), which got independence from France in 1960, has always been plagued by strife and conflict. Even though it is a region that is rich in diamonds, gold, oil and uranium, much of its population lives in the poorest of conditions.

One of the world’s poorest nations despite a rich supply of diamonds and uranium, the CAR has struggled to recover from a 2013 civil war that erupted when President Francois Bozize, a Christian, was overthrown by mainly Muslim Seleka rebels.

On 19th June 2017, the government of Central African Republic (CAR) signed a peace agreement in Rome with 13 of the 14 armed groups to end the ongoing violent conflict. However, violence has persisted. The current President Faustin-Archange Touadera has been unsuccessful taking control of the whole region.

United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (also called MINUSCA) is the UN peacekeeping mission, which started in April 10, 2014 to protect Central African Republic civilians under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. It transforms the 6,000-strong African Union-led peacekeeping force known as MISCA into a UN peacekeeping missions, became operational on September 15, 2014.

The UN has about 12,500 personnel deployed in the CAR as part of its MINUSCA mission, one of the world body’s largest peacekeeping forces.

Analysis

More than 40 people have been killed and dozens wounded in Central African Republic (CAR), in an attack on a Catholic mission sheltering 20,000 refugees, according to a regional legislator.

The violence in the town of Alindao, some 300km east of the capital, Bangui, began on Thursday when Christian militiamen known as “Anti-balaka” killed Muslims, prompting revenge attacks.

A church was burned, forcing “thousands” of people to flee, the United Nations’ peacekeeping mission in the CAR (MINUSCA) said.

“We have counted 42 bodies so far, but we are still searching for others. The camp has been burned to the ground and people fled into the bush and to other IDP (internally displaced person) camps in the city,” Etienne Godenaha, Alindao legislator, told the Reuters news agency on Saturday.

A humanitarian source also said that more than 40 people were killed, according to Reuters. The UN on Friday said 37 deaths had been confirmed in Alindao, including that of a priest.

On Saturday, the Catholic Church said that the remains of a second priest were recovered in Alindao.

“We found his charred body,” Father Mathieu Bondobo, the vicar-general of the main cathedral in Bangui, told the AFP news agency.

The violence came just weeks about 10,000 people ran to a hospital in Batangafo, some 400km north of Bangui, after armed groups looted and burned thousands of homes, three camps hosting 27,000 displaced and a market in the city.

In a statement issued late last week, MINUSCA condemned the latest violence that “resulted in the loss of life, mass displacement of internally displaced people and the destruction of property”.

It also said it had implemented “security measures” to protect civilians who sought refuge near the mission’s military outposts.

The conflict has killed thousands of people and caused the displacement of a fifth of the country’s 4.5 million population. More than 642,000 have been internally displaced, according to the UN.

Despite electing a new leader – President Faustin-Archange Touadera – in 2016, the country has continued to face political instability and reciprocal inter-communal violence.

Assessment

Our assessment is that continued inter-communal violence is preventing economic development in CAR and the resulting UN peace mission is costing millions more to maintain. We believe that violence in the country will only be resolved after dialogue between the two communities. We also feel that MINUSCA should help facilitate a humanitarian corridor for the area affected by the recent attack.