The Central African
Republic’s post-independence history has been plagued
by political and military instability. In the last ten years
in particular, a succession of coups d’état and
mutinies has left the country in turmoil. Dense forests and
porous borders make the CAR ideal terrain for highway bandits,
who operate along the northern routes, paralysing economic
activity and threatening the civilian population and, more
recently, humanitarian workers.
To compound an already volatile situation, rebellions spearheaded
by the Popular Army for the Restoration of Democracy (APRD)
in the north-west and the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity
(UFDR) in the north-east erupted at the end of 2005 and beginning
of 2006 respectively. Early in 2007, another rebel group,
the Central African People’s Democratic Front (FDPC),
resurfaced, seizing control of territory north of Kaga-Bandoro.
Moreover, the crises in neighbouring Chad and Sudan have had
spillover effects in the CAR.
The near-chronic unrest in the CAR is not just the result
of a struggle for power nor just a symptom of a failed economic
and social system. Rather, it stems from a complex combination
of political, economic, social and cultural factors that have
made it very difficult for peace initiatives to work.
Various political efforts to resolve the crisis have so far
fallen short of success. Agreements reached by the government
with the FDPC in Syrte and the UFDR in Birao have yet to be
fully implemented. Meanwhile, there is no political settlement
in sight between the government and the APRD, which continues
to occupy territory, prolonging the population’s suffering.
Insecurity and political instability continue to undermine
the economic and social development of the CAR, which remains
one of the poorest countries in Africa despite its huge potential
agricultural and mineral wealth.
In the last two years, the conflict between rebel movements
and government forces has uprooted tens of thousands of people.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) and Caritas, around 280,000 people have been displaced
within the CAR by the fighting that erupted in 2005 and 2006,
while more than 65,000 people have sought refuge in Chad or
The clashes between the armed forces and the APRD rebels in
the north-west have mainly affected the populations living
in the prefectures of Ouham, Ouham Pendé and Nana-Grebizi.
In Nana-Grebizi, tens of thousands of people, already weakened
by the dire economic situation, have fled deep into the bush,
where they are living in desperate conditions, exposed to
the elements and without access to clean water, health care
or basic necessities. Some of them are spending their second
rainy season out in the open. Because of the prevailing insecurity,
they are reluctant to return to their villages to rebuild
Aid agencies have arrived in force, including United Nations
agencies (UNICEF, UNHCR, World Food Programme, etc.), international
nongovernmental organizations and development cooperation
agencies, all running programmes for conflict-affected populations
under a still embryonic coordination system.
The Red Cross response
The ICRC has been active in the CAR since 1997, operating
out of a mission in Bangui that depended on the regional delegation
in Yaoundé (Cameroon). In response to the deterioration
of the humanitarian situation in the north, the ICRC stepped
up its operations in May 2007, upgrading its mission to a
delegation and opening offices in Paoua in the north-west
and Kaga-Bandoro and Birao in the north-east, as well as an
outpost in Bangassou. Its reinforced presence enabled the
organization to establish a regular dialogue with all the
parties to the conflict and to develop a range of programmes,
notably in the areas of protection of the civilian population
and assistance to displaced people.
Assistance programmes are carried out in cooperation with
the Central African Red Cross Society, whose proximity to
the affected populations and the commitment of its volunteers
have made it a key partner of the ICRC. On the basis of assessments
conducted by the ICRC between January and May 2007, the number
of beneficiaries of assistance programmes has been increased
from 40,000 to more than 100,000.
Since the end of August 2007, more than 20,000 displaced
people have been provided with tarpaulins, mattresses, buckets
and soap. “At least 100 villages around the towns of
Markounda, Paoua and Batanfago are receiving this assistance,”
says Alphonse Zarambaud, relief coordinator with the Central
African Red Cross.
The delegation is also involved in a project to improve the
clean water supply in urban centres and in a rural community
project initiated in cooperation with the Central African
Red Cross Society in 2005 in the south-east of the country,
near the border with Congo. In addition, the ICRC visits people
deprived of their freedom, in particular those detained in
connection with the conflict, and provides health and hygiene
support to the detention centres in Bimbo and Ngaragba (Bangui).
In order to carry out its work effectively in the Central
African Republic, the ICRC must continue to reinforce its
partnership with the National Society and to maintain contacts
with all the relevant parties, including the political, civil
and military authorities and all arms bearers and armed groups.
In a security context as fragile as this, the challenge is
to ensure full and long-term acceptance of the ICRC and its
work. According to Jean-Nicolas Marti, ICRC head of delegation
in Bangui, “The more humanitarian actors there are in
the field, the greater the risk to their security, especially
in a volatile context such as this, where violence can erupt
anywhere and at any moment.”
Near Paoua in north-western Central African
Republic. This displaced child is living with his family in
the forest in a makeshift shelter.
©JON BJORGVINSSON / ICRC
12 July 2006. Women sit outside a hospital
305 kilometres north of Bangui, in Bossangoa, Central African
©LIONEL HEALING / AFP PHOTO
The CAR in brief
Neighbouring countries: Cameroon, Chad,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, Sudan
Area: 622,984 square kilometres
President: François Bozizé
Population: 4.3 million
Official languages: French, Sangho
Main ethnic groups: Gbaya 33 per cent,
Banda 27 per cent, Manja 13 per cent, Sara 10 per cent,
Mboum 7 per cent, M’Baka 4 per cent, Yakoma 4
per cent, others 2 per cent
Religion: Indigenous beliefs 35 per
cent, Protestant 25 per cent, Catholic 25 per cent,
Muslim 15 per cent
Exports: Diamonds, gold, cotton, coffee,