UN OCHA's press release on CAR

United Nations 

Nations Unies 

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)


HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR IN CAR ABDOU DIENG CALLS FOR URGENT 
SCALE UP OF SECURITY OF MUSLIMS TRAPPED IN BANGUI 


Bangui, 21 February 2014: The Humanitarian Coordinator in the Central African
Republic, Mr. Abdou Dieng, visited the PK 12 neighborhood of the capital Bangui today
and urged for an immediate scale up of security measures in order provide better
protection to some 3,000 members of the Muslim community who have been trapped
there for two months.

Fleeing attacks by anti-Balaka militias, this community, a majority of old people and
children, have settled in the open air along the main road north of Bangui. “Their
situation is appalling. People are being killed purposefully, targeted for their religious
beliefs. Every night brings more violence and deaths amongst this community”, says Mr.
Dieng. We need to do much more to protect them if we don’t want to have the deaths of
these men, women and children on our conscience.”

International troops are present at the site, but are insufficient in number to ensure the
safety of the trapped population; Anti-Balaka groups have used human shields to prevent
the African Union Force from intervening on several occasions. On average, two people
are admitted every day to the community hospital to be treated for bullet or other wounds.

Sanitary conditions have deteriorated significantly and food is running low as people are
too afraid to leave the enclave to go to the market nearby. Health and nutrition needs are
also acute. Family members have been separated when trying to climb on trucks leaving
for Chad in a desperate attemp to leave PK12, with the result that children have been left
behind without their parents.

« These people want to leave this place they call « hell », added the Humanitarian
Coordinator who spoke with the elders as well as the Imam of the community. We need
to evacuate them as soon as possible to a safe location where families can be reunited and
live without fearing for their lives. »

On 20 February, the Chadian Government announced the end of the repatriation of its
nationals and Muslim Central Africans. More than 72,000 people have fled to Chad since
violence erupted on 5 December. In the past week the last convoys leaving CAR have
been attacked along the route to the border. At least 40 people have died and many more
have been wounded.

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