AFRICA/CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - Refugees without parents: at least 2000 children

Bangui (Agenzia Fides) - It is estimated that in the Democratic Republic of Congo (CAR), there are about 22,100 refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR), and that 40% of these are children aged between 2 to 14 separated from their parents during the recent conflict in CAR between the Seleka rebel group and government forces.
According to the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) there are at least 2000 refugee children. Between the months of January and February 2013, the number of refugees increased from 4,000 to 21,352 due to the intensity of the conflict. Most are located near the Ubangi River, where they live in difficult living conditions but are closer to their country and have the opportunity to fish in order to survive, while others are hosted by local families. In Bangui, the capital of RCA taken by the rebels on March 24, according to the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for Central and Southern Africa, the situation is far from normalization, although some businesses are recovering. Theft and looting remains a very high risk, and no one knows how the conflict will evolve. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 08/04/2013)