Deaths, displacement as battle for CAR continues

Deaths, displacement as battle for CAR continues

At least 25 people have been killed in a series of clashes between armed groups over one week in escalating violence in the Central African Republic (CAR).

The UN said on Tuesday that thousands of people continue to be uprooted and forced to flee for their lives in resurgent fighting between rival factions in various parts of the country.

In its weekly report released on Tuesday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that preliminary estimates indicate at least 10 people were killed and 50 others wounded in fighting between rival factions in the central town of Bria between September 7-8.

In Yokapi, a village in the country's east, around 15 people were killed and some 80 houses torched in a violent confrontation between two communities, OCHA added.

OCHA's reported death toll is in addition to at least six people killed since last Thursday in Batangafo, a northwestern town where more than 28,000 are without aid, according to several humanitarian sources.

If tensions continue to escalate, the UN warns, the country could fall into larger-scale conflict.

The UN's comments come days after human rights group Amnesty International warned that civilians in central areas of the country were enduring "a horrifying surge in torture, pillage and forced displacement".

On Wednesday, Lewis Mudge, a researcher with the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch, told Al Jazeera that "armed groups are more emboldened than ever to kill civilians, rape women and girls and destroy property. Displacement camps, places that are usually protected, are under attack".

"There are two main reasons for this uptick in violence: impunity for past crimes and a peacekeeping mission that is overstretched," Lewis said.

The CAR, a former French colony, fell into a protracted political crisis in 2013 after President Francois Bozize was overthrown by a coalition of Muslim-majority rebel groups called the Seleka, who in turn were driven from power.

Seleka's abuses against the Christian population led to the emergence of self-defence groups - the Anti-balaka - which embarked on their own campaign of violence.

Muslims were shunned, forced to flee into enclaves and displaced persons camps or neighbouring countries.

Amnesty International warned of "a Muslim exodus of historic proportions".

Number of IDPs swells

In June 2016, President Faustin-Archange Touadera was voted in.

Though a semblance of security has returned to the capital, Bangui, the countryside remains under the control of armed groups while UN peacekeepers battle to protect civilians caught in the middle.

At least half of the country's population currently depends on humanitarian aid.

Since January 2017, the number of displaced people has grown from 400,000 to 600,000 according to the country's international NGO coordination committee.

Humanitarian organisations have struggled to cope amid the spread of violence. During the first half of 2017, NGO workers suffered more than 200 attacks.

"UN Security Council should ensure that [the UN peacekeeping mission] has all the resources required to stem rising violence across the country," said Mudge of HRW.

My response:

Audience: I think that the audience of this article is probably not citizens of the Central African Republic because of the lack of access to internet for most of the country. However, I do think that the audience is for the outside help that is already involved in the Central African Republic. This article gives a lot of updates and just states new information about things that are going on in the country.

Reader Bias: When I read this, I have to admit that I have a lot of bias against the UN. So, whenever the UN is mentioned as helping, I almost have to grit my teeth. I know that there is a lot of good that they have done, however I also know, personally, that there is a lot of hurt that they have caused as well, especially through my experiences. Other than that, I also have bias towards the Christians when the article talks about the different groups that are fighting, just because of my own beliefs.

Publisher Bias: Although Aljazeera is usually pretty good about not having bias, I feel like in this particular article, there is bias against the UN. ‘"There are two main reasons for this uptick in violence: impunity for past crimes and a peacekeeping mission that is overstretched," Lewis said,’ I think that this line of the article shows a little bit of bias against the UN. It is basically stating that the UN (the peacekeeping mission) is overdone, as in they have not been able to accomplish their goals. Also I feel like there was some bias towards Muslims in this article by the line: “Muslims were shunned, forced to flee into enclaves and displaced persons camps or neighbouring countries.” I think this because I know that most of the conflict is actually started by the Muslims, so it is hard for others to not shun then.

Purpose: I think that the purpose of this article was to update the people who are involved in helping CAR about what is happening there. Also, it gives some background, so it could help anyone who is interested in helping CAR get some info, and maybe begin their ideas of ways to help.

Opinion: Because I know a lot about CAR and the situation that it is in, I know my stance almost exactly at the moment (of course my thoughts and ideas change). I would like to see more outside help for CAR. Going into more research about it, you can find that CAR is the poorest and saddest nations in the world, and is one of the most dangerous to live in. Just based on these statistics, I feel like it should be illuminated to the world as an area of extreme need. I am always grateful for article like these that are helping spread the problem and gaining popularity and help. I am also thankful that this article didn’t try to portray the UN as the perfect peacemakers that most articles show them as. I continue to pray for peace in the land of the Central African Republic.