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UN humanitarian office concerned over security in CAR

29 October 2013 03:46 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Monday that humanitarian organizations are concerned about the security situation in northern Central African Republic (CAR), where thousands of people have been displaced due to renewed fighting between armed groups, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"Up to 5,000 people are reported to be displaced in Bouar," UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said at a daily news briefing here.

Humanitarian organizations launched a measles vaccination campaign earlier this month in response to an outbreak which has affected an estimated 600 people. The first phase of the campaign, which aims to reach 550,000 children under five, covers four regions, including the capital, Bangui, said Nesirky.

Plagued by decades of instability and fighting, the CAR witnessed a resumption of violence last December when the Seleka rebel coalition launched a series of attacks. A peace agreement was reached in January, but the rebels again seized Bangui in March, forcing President Francois Bozize to flee.

There is now a transitional government headed by Prime Minister Nicolas Tiangaye, who is entrusted with restoring law and order and paving the way for democratic elections. But armed clashes in the northeast have increased since the beginning of August, and the country is facing a dire humanitarian situation that affects the entire population of some 4.6 million.

In addition, there are continued reports of gross human rights violations, committed by the Seleka coalition and the Ugandan Lord 's Resistance Army (LRA), including the deliberate killing of civilians, acts of sexual violence against women and children, and the destruction and looting of hospitals, schools and churches.