(3 minutes read)
· The UN Refugee Agency (UNCHR) is concerned over the violence and insecurity surrounding the 27 December general election in the Central African Republic (CAR)
· The incidents, which had taken place before and after the elections, forced over 30,000 people to flee the country
· Many of its inhabitants had fled to neighboring Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the Republic of Congo, while several thousand people are displaced within the country, which are living under insecurity
The UN Refugee Agency (UNCHR) is concerned over the violence and insecurity surrounding the 27 December general election in the Central African Republic (CAR). The incidents, which had taken place before and after the elections, forced over 30,000 people to flee the country. It is reported that many of its inhabitants had fled to neighboring Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the Republic of Congo, while several thousand people are displaced within the country, which are living under insecurity.
A sizeable number of refugees had reached the DRC’s provinces of Bas Uele and North-Ubangui crossing the Ubangui River. There are also refugees in Ndu village following attacks on the towns of Damara and Bangassou on 2 and 3 January. The influx of refugees has placed a massive strain on resources of families, who are hosting them. The UNHCR has opened its camps along the Ubangi River to respond to the needs of new arrivals.
UNHCR is concerned about reports of human rights violations taking place inside CAR. It had urged governments in all neighboring countries to continue granting access to asylum, after registering new arrivals. UNHCR is working closely with national and local authorities, and humanitarian partners to make available water, shelter, access to health and adequate sanitation to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases. It is estimated that a quarter of CAR’s population of 4.7 million was forcibly displaced by the end of 2020.
