CAR: Fighting in the North Forces Thousands to Flee Their Homes

Insecurity in the north of Central African Republic (CAR) has caused thousands of people to flee their homes.

“Villages have been violently destroyed and looted, including some health centers,” says Pablo Marco, head of mission for Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in CAR.

Since the end of January, fighting around Gondava and Ouandago, along the border with Chad, has brought instability to the region. The Chadian rebel group, the Popular Front for Recovery (FPR) is fighting against Chadian and Central African forces. Some 3,000 displaced people have arrived in the villages of Farazala, Ouandago, and Nana-Outa, in addition to the 3,000 people already sheltering in Kabo.

“During the first few days of the fighting, some of the wounded were admitted to our hospitals, including two women who had been raped, but now many more cases are being reported,” says Marco. “People [were] left with nothing but the clothes they were wearing, and they are unable to go back to their fields, so there is an urgent need for food and relief items.”

Photo: CAR 2011 © Anna Surinyach A young refugee in the Kabo camp.