AFRICA/CENTRAL AFRICA - Caritas France: "The situation is still critical because of violence"

Friday, 3 October 2014

Bangui (Agenzia Fides) - In spite of the agreements of Brazzaville and the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force, the situation of security in the Central African Republic remains fragile. This was reported by Aude Hadley, head of the Secours Catholique-Caritas France, who describes the situation: "Armed groups do not respect the agreement of Brazzaville and their internal divisions and splits further accentuate violence".
On September 15, the United Nations Mission in Central Africa (MINUSCA) took the place of the previous mission of the African Union, adding itself to the French military mission Sangaris and the European Union EUFOR-RCA. The presence of international military has improved the security situation in the capital Bangui, said Aude Hadley, but all over the Country "crime is on the rise. Robberies, kidnappings and attacks are numerous". Mgr. Dieudonné Nzapalainga, Archbishop of Bangui and President of Caritas Central Africa, in an interview with Vatican Radio said that "the deployment of UN forces was needed to help Central Africans. However, one can also send a billion soldiers, but if Central Africans do not become aware of the fact that we are called to live together, the situation will not change. The first answers have to come from Central Africans".
The situation remains extremely critical in Bambari, in the center-east of the Country, where in clashes between armed groups, at least 25 people were killed and several others injured, while the cathedral continues to host several displaced. In late September, the number of Central African refugees abroad was 418,200 (9% of the population), while the IDPs were 487,600 (11% of the population), of whom 62,000 in Bangui. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 03/10/2014)


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