AFRICA/ CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC - Violence in northern Central Africa uproots 250,000 refugees. “each one is a person with a personal story” a Catholic nun working in the area tells Fides: “The important thing is to preserve their human dignity and self-respect”

Tuesday, 3 October 2006

Bangui (Agenzia Fides)- Violence in the north of Central African Republic perpetrated by various armed groups including government troops has forced at least 250,000 people to abandon their homes. This was reported by Toby Lanzer, coordinator of UN humanitarian operations in Central Africa who said “in the north of the Central African Republic there are 150,000 internally displaced persons, 50,000 have fled to Chad and 20,000 have reached Cameroon”. This situation is having a regional impact and crossing existing crises situations in Sudan (Darfur) and Chad.
However cold geopolitical figures cannot tell the whole tale of the tragedy. Fides Africa desk recently had a visit from Sr Petra Urietti, a missionary Sister of Saint Joseph of Torino, on mission for many years in northern Central African Republic near the border with Chad (see Fides 3 December 2003), who told us “The first thing I hear from fleeing villagers is: . In this situation it is very difficult to restore hope. These extremely poor village people are prey to the many armed groups which roam around the area” the nun said showing photographs of charred mud huts. “We found dying people brutally massacred with their skulls cracked with the butt of a rifle, not worth a bullet, left to die in atrocious agony” she added.
“The men who do this are probably drugged. This is the only explanation for such hardness of heart and total disrespect for human life” said Sr Petra.
“However even in this situation we work and we hope. With help from the universal Church the mission school was rebuilt and it is so moving to see children who had sheltered in the forest for months come to school in freshly washed school uniforms carefully kept in their flight. Some of them are living in refugee camps, others have been in the forest for months, many have lost both parents. Thank God, Africa’s extended family system takes care of them”.
“The most important thing in these situations is to respect and preserve the dignity of each and every man, woman and child” Sr Petra told Fides. “This is why it is no good offering only emergency aid. This induces them to keep on asking for food and medicine, they must be helped to help themselves. I give people all the help I can but to preserve their dignity and self respect I ask them to give something in exchange, perhaps a brick for the school. We try to teach these people to rebuild their homes and their lives using the limited local resources” the missionary concludes. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 3/10/2006 righe 44 parole 583)


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