from OMAN MBIKO in Bangui, Central African Republic
CAR Bureau
BANGUI, (CAJ News) – RENEWED attacks by militants have forced some humanitarian organisations to suspend their activities in the Central African Republic (CAR).
In one week across four incidents, two humanitarian organisations have suspended their activities following attacks on their teams.
Mostly, staff were assaulted and their personal property taken away.
Armed men also disrupted a food and non-food distribution site, and the items were taken away by the attackers, leaving 230 displaced families in disarray awaiting assistance.
More than 46 000 vulnerable people, mostly displaced people, will see their assistance disrupted in the areas of health, gender-based violence, protection and camp management in the north-west of the country, following the suspension of activities.
Denise Brown, the humanitarian coordinator for CAR, condemned the attacks.
“The civilian population is the most affected by this worrying increase in violence,” she said.
The envoy added each time a humanitarian organization is attacked, it is access to water, food, health, education that is threatened in a context where more than half of the population needs humanitarian aid.
“I call on all parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and to allow humanitarian organizations free passage,” Brown said.
Over 2,2 million people in the CAR are food insecure.
“If a humanitarian organization working in food security is forced to suspend its activities following attacks by armed men, it would be catastrophic,” Brown explained.
Between January and May, there have been 69 security incidents affecting aid workers, including one worker killed and 16 others injured.
CAR has suffered incessant conflicts since the turn of the millennium.
– CAJ News