Central African Republic: Country Must End Impunity for Extrajudicial Killings - UN Expert Feb 8, 2008
In a statement issued in the capital Bangui, Mr. Alston noted that while President Fran;ois Boziz; has shown that he has the power to prevent the military from committing human rights abuses, "it is still too early to conclude that the Government has definitively turned a new page.". While he reported that the number of extrajudicial executions carried out by the armed forces in the north has fallen "dramatically" over the past six months, owing to a decrease in the fighting, "this is not to say... (allAfrica.com)
INTERVIEW-ICC vows "no impunity" for African war criminals Feb 8, 2008
The Hague-based ICC, which has opened an office in the poor, landlocked former French colony, is gathering evidence about systematic acts of sexual violence which accompanied fighting in the capital Bangui between government troops and rebels. "Here, the rapes outnumbered the other crimes ... young girls and old women were gang raped, in public places," Moreno-Ocampo told Reuters in a phone interview from Bangui ... In Bangui, the ICC prosecutor was to meet senior members of the government of... (AlertNet)
Central African unions strike despite resignations Jan 20, 2008
BANGUI, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Unions in Central African Republic said on Saturday they would continue a general strike over civil servants' salary arrears despite the resignation of Prime Minister Elie Dote and his government late on Friday ... Western diplomats in Bangui said the strike could pose a problem for Bozize, who seized power in 2003 and won elections two years later with support from the unions now staging the stoppage, unless he was able to quickly defuse it. (AlertNet)
Central African Republic gov't resigns amid strike Jan 19, 2008
BANGUI, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Central African Republic's Prime Minister Elie Dote and his government resigned on Friday in the midst of a general strike called by unions to demand the payment of months of salary arrears to civil servants ... The stoppage has sparked some demonstrations in the streets of Bangui by students angry about not being able to attend classes ... Western diplomats in Bangui said the strike posed a problem for Bozize, who seized power in 2003 and won elections two years... (AlertNet)
Central African Republic's Prime Minister resignsBangui, Central African Republic (PANA) - Central African Prime Minister Elie Dot Friday handed over the resignation of his government to President Franois Boziz, a statement on the state-run radio, by the Presidency spokesman Cyriaque Gonda, said. 19/01/2008 Full Text... Jan 19, 2008
Bangui, Central African Republic (PANA) - Central African Prime Minister Elie Do t Friday handed over the resignation of his government to President Franois Bo z iz, a statement on the state-run radio, by the Presidency spokesman Cyriaque Go n da, said. Dot cited the concern to "preserve social peace, cohesion and national unity" a s the reasons for the resignation. (Panapress.com)
Hallward: Was Aristide Pushed? Dec 16, 2007
The US says that Aristide chose the safety of Bangui, in the Central African Republic ... 55] Once aboard the plane to Bangui, Steeles commanding officer David Johnson told Frantz Gabriel that the reinforcements were intercepted by the personal order of Colin Powell himself ... Kim Ives spoke with Aristide in Bangui in early March, and was told that staff from the US and French embassies in fact drafted a resignation for him, which he refused to sign, and that was [the source for] a lot... (Zmag.org)
EU force may halt Central Africa's decline- report Dec 15, 2007
The Brussels-based think tank said the country of 4 million people, roughly the size of France, was a "phantom state", where government institutions had stopped working outside the capital Bangui while bandits and warring factions terrorise the north. President Francois Bozize, installed in 2003 by France and Chad, has lost control of the situation, Crisis Group said. (AlertNet)
HIV-infected Infants Respond Poorly To Childhood Vaccination Dec 8, 2007
The study was conducted in Cameroon and the Central African Republic by pediatricians, epidemiologists, bacteriologists and virologists, and coordinated by the Institut Pasteur (Paris, France) through its International Network, particularly the institutes based at the Pasteur Center in Yaound; and at the Institut Pasteur in Bangui. The researchers found that antibody levels to measles vaccine was particularly low amongst children who were HIV infected, and that antibody levels to vaccine amongst... (Science Daily)
Complete weather forecast Dec 7, 2007
Jackson, MS 39201 Last Updated: 12/07/07 07:45:24 EDT. C) Relative Humidity: 74% Barometer: 30. (The Clarion-Ledger)
Tripoli, Bangui review cooperationTripoli, Libya (PANA) - Top officials of Libya and Central African Republic (CAR) met here at the weekend to review the areas of cooperation between the two nations. 03/12/2007 Full Text... Dec 3, 2007
Tripoli, Bangui review cooperation. Tripoli, Bangui review cooperation. (Panapress.com)
Central African rebel attack ends period of calm Nov 27, 2007
BANGUI, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Rebels in northwestern Central African Republic have killed one government soldier and injured four others in an attack which ended weeks of relative calm in the volatile region, witnesses said on Monday. The attack on the main road between Bocaranga and Bang, an important goods and passenger route near the borders with Chad and Cameroon, came weeks after it had been reopened following a four-month closure because of repeated clashes with rebels. (AlertNet)
Central African Republic: International Criminal Court Signs Protocol Deal With Govt Oct 20, 2007
Bruno Cathala, the ICC registrar, signed the agreement with the CAR Justice Minister Thierry Maleyombo during a meeting yesterday in the capital, Bangui, according to a press statement released by the Court ... The agreement covers the conditions of operations for ICC teams - including investigators, security officials and witness protection officials - while they are working in the CAR and coincides with the opening of an ICC field office in Bangui. (allAfrica.com)
Third Central African rebel group seeks ceasefire Oct 11, 2007
BANGUI, Oct 10 (Reuters) - One of Central African Republic's last rebel groups not to have signed a peace deal with the government wants to negotiate a ceasefire, mediators representing the insurgents said on Wednesday. President Francois Bozize, who seized power in 2003 and won elections two years later, has signed peace pacts with two rebel groups this year and is promoting an all-inclusive political dialogue aimed at reuniting the poor former French colony. (AlertNet)
Central African Republic: Tens of Thousands Uprooted By Violence in North Sep 15, 2007
The UN expressed concern for the 12,000 living along the Markounda-Silambi axis, approximately 500 kilometres north of the capital Bangui. In July, less than half of that number of people was displaced in the area, but now the entire population of the axis has been forced to flee their homes. (allAfrica.com)
WEATHER: Thunderstorms possible Aug 28, 2007
Central African Republic - Bangui. Chad - Ndjamena. (Florida Today)
Plight of Central African Republic - feature Aug 2, 2007
Everything then has to be transported by commercial truck along hundreds of kilometres of unmade, potholed roads from the capital, Bangui. The 28,000 hoes that are required are being made in Paoua, where the ICRC established an office in April 2006. (AlertNet)
TV NEWS FOOTAGE - Central African Republic - ICRC steps up aid to tens of thousands of people displaced by conflict Jul 31, 2007
Reuters AlertNet - TV NEWS FOOTAGE - Central African Republic - ICRC steps up aid to tens of thousands of people displaced by conflict. Select an Edition: Tue Jul 31 05:31:47 2007. (AlertNet)
Race to position food in CAR for Darfurian refugees Jul 27, 2007
A recent convoy of trucks carrying aid supplies took 16 days to reach the northeastern town of Birao from the CAR capital, Bangui ... The town of Sam Ouandja was itself attacked in November 2006 and again in March this year as a local rebellion sought recognition from the government in Bangui. (AlertNet)
Central African Republic humanitarian situation dire-ICRC Jul 25, 2007
Barry, describing the 13-hour drive from the capital Bangui to Paoua, an area where rebel and army troops have been fighting for the last year, told a briefing: "There are whole villages that are empty. There are houses that are burned down and people have fled into the bush". The displaced are living in "extremely poor conditions", many in straw shelters, and lack basic medical care, she said. (AlertNet)
EU takes first step for Chad Darfur refugee force Jul 24, 2007
A French Legionaire sits in a mobile patrol, July 17, in Bangui, Central African Republic. Eastern Chad and northern Central African Republic have seen a spillover from the 4-year-old conflict in Sudan's western Darfur region, with cross-border raids by Sudanese militias and the influx of tens of thousands of refugees. (CNN -- World)
World Bank to fund West African road, rail links Jun 28, 2007
The World Bank project will target sections of road and stretches of rail between Chad's capital N'Djamena and Bangui in Central African Republic to the port of Douala in Cameroon. In addition, it will finance improvements to accelerate border crossings and reduce other barriers along the Douala-N'Djamena and Douala-Bangui corridors ... Road travel from Douala -- the main port and regional gateway -- currently takes about 15 days to N'Djamena and 10 days to Bangui. (AlertNet)
CAR children 'seized for ransom' Jun 27, 2007
Mr Byaruhanga said the government was failing to protect the population and only controlled the capital, Bangui. Mr Gonda renewed a call for the UN to send peacekeepers - an idea also supported by Mr Byaruhanga. (BBC News)
Central African Republic: Law and Order Collapsing as Civilians Flee Violence and Killings [press release] Jun 27, 2007
"Law and order in the Central African Republic is heading rapidly towards the brink of collapse -- the government's authority is already effectively confined to the capital, Bangui, where also insecurity, corruption and impunity reign. The repercussions of such a collapse would be catastrophic for the entire central African region.". Amnesty International calls for the immediate deployment of a multi-dimensional UN force to protect civilians in CAR, warning that the international community --... (allAfrica.com)
Central African Republic:Law and Order on Brink of Collapse? Jun 27, 2007
"The government's authority is already effectively confined to the capital, Bangui, where also insecurity, corruption and impunity reign. The repercussions of such a collapse would be catastrophic for the entire central African region," he added ... France, which has intervened frequently in CAR since its independence in 1960, has some 200 troops stationed in Bangui to protect the capital. (allAfrica.com)
Bandits flock to CAR to loot and kidnap -- Amnesty Jun 27, 2007
BANGUI, June 26 (Reuters) - The lawless Central African Republic is becoming a magnet for armed groups and bandits from across the region who are looting, killing and kidnapping children for money, Amnesty International said on Tuesday. The human rights watchdog said crises in neighbouring Sudan and eastern Chad were distracting attention from the CAR, and urged the United Nations to deploy peacekeepers to prevent a total collapse of order. (AlertNet)
Country profile Jun 27, 2007
BBC World Service and Radio France Internationale are available on FM in Bangui ... Radio Notre Dame - Roman Catholic station in Bangui ... Radio Ndeke Luka - Bangui FM station, UN-backed. (BBC News -- Africa)
Central African Republic: ICRC aids the displaced Jun 23, 2007
The ICRC has for the first time come to the aid of some 6,500 people who have taken refuge in the town of Kaga-Bandoro, 250 km north-east of the capital, Bangui ... For further information, please contact: Jean Nicolas Marti, ICRC Bangui, tel +236 611 174 ... Latif Abdou Mbake, ICRC Bangui, tel +236 611 014 Anna Schaaf, ICRC Geneva, tel +41 22 730 22 71 or +41 79 217 32 17. (AlertNet)
Child soldiers swap guns for pens in CAR Jun 17, 2007
Officials from U.N. children's agency UNICEF handed out schoolbooks and pens at the ceremony in Gordil, a former rebel stronghold almost 700 km (435 miles) from the capital Bangui, sandwiched between two huge wetland reserves. The landlocked country, languishing near the bottom of just about every development ranking, has suffered decades of instability and military coups, exacerbated recently by the spill-over of conflicts from neighbouring Sudan and Chad. (AlertNet)
Central Africa:Aid Suspended After Foreign Worker Killed Jun 16, 2007
MSF and other NGOs suspended operations and moved staff to the capital, Bangui. The UN also stopped movement of its staff around Paoua, where tens of thousands of conflict-affected people are in need. (allAfrica.com)
WFP airlifts emergency supplies to newly arrived Darfur refugees in the Central African Republic Jun 15, 2007
A plane loaded with 15 metric tons of high-energy biscuits (HEBs) at WFP s Humanitarian Response Depot in Accra, Ghana, is due in the CAR capital Bangui today, where the supplies will be transhipped onto a smaller plane and flown east to Bria in two rotations. There the HEBs will be transferred a final time for the flight to Sam Ouandja, which will require a further four rotations. (AlertNet)
Central African Republic: Aid Agencies Suspend Operations After Killing Jun 13, 2007
Following the incident, MSF-France and other organisations, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, temporarily suspended work around Paoua, sources in the CAR capital of Bangui said ... Sources in Bangui blamed the attack on the Arm;e populaire pour la restauration de la r;publique et de la d;mocratie (APRD) rebels who are fighting government forces in the region. (allAfrica.com)
UN halts aid to northwest CAR after aid worker shot Jun 13, 2007
BANGUI, June 12 (Reuters) - The United Nations suspended humanitarian operations in the impoverished northwest of Central African Republic (CAR) on Tuesday, a day after a French aid worker was shot dead in the remote strife-torn region. Elsa Serfass, 27, a worker for medical charity Doctors Without Borders, was gunned down in her car near the town of Paoua during a trip to assess sanitary conditions after attacks by rebel and army troops last month. (AlertNet)
UN stops aid to strife-torn African region Jun 13, 2007
BANGUI The United Nations suspended humanitarian operations in the impoverished northwest of Central African Republic (CAR) on Tuesday, a day after a French aid worker was shot dead in the remote strife-torn region. Elsa Serfass, 27, a worker for medical charity Doctors Without Borders, was gunned down in her car near the town of Paoua during a trip to assess sanitary conditions after attacks by rebel and army troops last month. (Globe and Mail -- International)
Sudan CP: Darfur Jun 11, 2007
The Central African Republic launches frequent attacks through Darfur in revenge for the intervention of the Khartoum government in Bangui conflicts. These vast open and unprotected boundaries can only be protected through the policy of good neighborhood, and the Sudan should see to it that Darfur not to be used as a bridge for the ambitions of this nation or that ruler to cross to Africa under the name of Islam and Arab Nationalism. (Zmag.org)
Elephant Meat a Commodity for Poachers Jun 8, 2007
Poachers skin a forest elephant for its meat and tusks in the Bangui forest, in the Central African Republic on May 3, 2007. NAIROBI, Kenya The markets in the offer all of the jungle's delicacies, including monkey, chimpanzee, antelope and, if you have the cash, even elephant. (Fox News)
Killing Elephants For Their Meat Threatens Herds Jun 8, 2007
" In the markets of Bangui, ivory earns a poacher about $13.60 a pound. Smoked elephant meat brings $5.45 a pound, considerably more than any other kind of meat, including beef or pork. A typical forest elephant, which weighs 5,000 to 6,000 pounds and produces 1,000 or so pounds of edible meat, can earn a poacher up to $180 for the ivory and as much as $6,000 for the meat. The average income for an African in the Congo Basin is about $1 a day. Conservation Isn't A Priority People in the forest... (Tampa Bay Online, FL -- News)
Elephant As Dinner Threatens African Herds Jun 7, 2007
In the markets of Bangui, ivory earns a poacher about $13. 60 a pound. (CBS News)
Central African Republic Frees 17 Rebels Jun 7, 2007
BANGUI, Central African Republic The government Wednesday freed 17 people who had been arrested for rebel activities, following the terms of a peace accord that aims to return the restive nation to stability after more than a year of sporadic insurgency. General Prosecutor Firmin Feindiro said the men were released in accordance with the April 13 deal signed by the government and rebel committees. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Central Africa elephants killed for meat Jun 7, 2007
Karl Amman via APIn this image made from video released by Karl Amman, a wildlife photographer, poachers skin a forest elephant for its meat and tusks in the Bangui forest onMay 3 ... In the markets of Bangui, ivory earns a poacher about $13. (MSNBC -- Environment)
Central African Republic: Jun 6, 2007
BANGUI, June 5 (Reuters) - Up to 20,000 people fled their homes in Central African Republic last week when the army torched hundreds of houses after a rebel attack, U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said on Tuesday, quoting local relief workers. The northwest of the former French colony has seen waves of violence in the past two years, with sporadic rebel attacks and counter-raids by government troops who have burnt thousands of straw-thatched mud houses trying to flush out rebels. (AlertNet)
Sudan: Darfur Refugees Flee to CAR Jun 1, 2007
com: Sudan: Darfur Refugees Reach Sam Ouandja (Page 1 of 1). Use our pull-down menus to find more stories. (allAfrica.com)
3,000 Darfur refugees in CAR after 10-day trek May 30, 2007
BANGUI, May 29 (Reuters) - An estimated 3,000 Sudanese refugees driven from their homes by fighting in Darfur trekked for 10 days through the bush to seek shelter in Central African Republic, United Nations officials said on Tuesday. The refugees told a U.N. team in the northeastern town of Sam-Ouandja, some 80 km (50 miles) from the Sudanese border, that a ground and air attack had forced all 15,000 inhabitants of the southern Darfur town of Dafak to flee their homes. (AlertNet)
Two health workers taken hostage in Central Africa May 23, 2007
BANGUI, May 22 (Reuters) - Two health workers, one working for an Italian aid organisation and the other for a government ministry, have been taken hostage in the lawless northwest of Central African Republic, the United Nations said on Tuesday. The two Central Africans were seized on Saturday by unidentified assailants while working on a project to improve access to health facilities in the restive Ouham-Pende prefecture near the border with Chad and Cameroon. (AlertNet)
Child Soldiers to Be Sent Home May 19, 2007
BANGUI, Central African Republic Rebel leaders in the Central African Republic have agreed to begin sending several hundred child soldiers home to their families, United Nations officials said Friday ... Contacted by telephone in his rebel stronghold of Gordil, 620 miles by land from Bangui, Zakaria confirmed that the rebel Union of Democratic Forces Coalition is prepared to sign an agreement with the U.N. agency in coming days. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Central African rebels to free 400 child soldiers May 19, 2007
A spokeswoman for Unicef in the capital Bangui said the children were expected to be demobilized in early June, once the last details of the agreement have been finalized. "It is imperative for Unicef to move fast to free these children from this environment of violence," said Mahimbo Mdoe, Unicef representative in Central African Republic. (Globe and Mail -- International)
Rebels to liberate some child soldiers May 19, 2007
BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) -- United Nations officials said on Friday that rebel leaders in the Central African Republic had agreed to begin sending several hundred child soldiers home to their families ... Contacted by telephone in his rebel stronghold of Gordil, 280 miles (450 kilometers) from Bangui, Zakaria confirmed that the rebel Union of Democratic Forces Coalition was prepared to sign an agreement with the U.N. agency in coming days. (CNN -- World)
The forgotten conflict Apr 30, 2007
Diplomats in Bangui estimate the government controls just 2 percent of the national territory. . (Boulder Colorado Daily, CO)
Zongos and Development - A Critical Appraisal. Apr 29, 2007
I am not aware of how the word crept into the Ghanaian lingo, but I know that Zongo is a market town in the northern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), lying on the south bank of the Oubangui River, across from Bangui in the Central African Republic (CAR). It has nothing to do with slum. (Ghana Web, Ghana)
Displaced refugees of Central Africa live in fear Apr 29, 2007
Diplomats in Bangui estimate the government controls just 2% of the national territory ... The country's main highway, running north from Bangui, is just a crumbling two-lane road that devolves into a dirt track outside the capital ... Decent hotels are so scarce, the main state-run Hotel Oubangui with 60 riverside rooms and elevators that barely function recently threw out paid guests, dumping their luggage at reception to make way for 30 South Africans on a state visit. (USA Today)
Central African Republic: Central African Republic - UN Agencies Send Aid Convoy to Troubled Northeast Apr 27, 2007
The convoy, organized by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in collaboration with the French non-governmental organization (NGO) Triangle Generation, left Bangui on Saturday. Bound for Vakaga prefecture on the border with Sudan's war-torn Darfur region and Chad, it is carrying 41 metric tons of food from WFP, seed supplies from FAO and educational materials from FAO.. (allAfrica.com)
CAR lawmaker tells president to end army abuses Apr 27, 2007
BANGUI, April 26 (Reuters) - A Central African Republic lawmaker made a rare public appeal to the president on Thursday to end violent abuses by government forces blamed for forcing thousands of villagers to flee into the bush. Two years of rebel attacks and reprisals by government troops, who torch northwestern villages suspected of helping the rebels, have driven more than 200,000 people from their homes including an estimated 70,000 who fled to Chad and Cameroon. (AlertNet)
Thousands flee fighting in Central African Republic Apr 22, 2007
BANGUI, April 21 (Reuters) - Thousands of people have fled fighting in northwestern Central African Republic, some swimming over the border after their homes were torched during government raids to hunt down rebels, local officials said on Saturday ... Its ill-resourced government has control of little beyond the capital Bangui and banditry is rife. (AlertNet)
CAR signs peace deal with rebels Apr 14, 2007
Francois Bozize, the president, along with UN officials flew to Birao, roughly 530km from the capital of Bangui early on Friday morning to oversee the signing. Also in attendance was the French military attache to Central African Republic. (Aljazeera.Net)
Rebels, government to sign peace deal Apr 14, 2007
BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) -- A Central African Republic rebel group said Friday that it is prepared to sign a peace deal to end hostilities and share power, leaders of the group said. "The time has come to make peace and work together for the reconstruction of our country," said Damane Zakaria, the military chief of the rebel Union of Democratic Forces Coalition, known by its French acronym, UFDR, in a telephone interview. (CNN -- World)
Central African Republic: Take Steps Now to Head Off Intractable Crisis Apr 5, 2007
Immediate, sustained political engagement in Bangui and rapid assistance now for the marginalized north will move the country towards peace and help people return home before the conflict hardens into yet another intractable disaster for the region ... The root cause of their misfortune is political, as people in a large swath of the northern part of the country are suffering from a long period of neglect by the central government in Bangui ... Despite the increased attention to the CAR because... (AlertNet)
Forest flightCentral African Republic villagers go hiding from fighting Apr 3, 2007
Large parts of the north have remained under-developed whilst Bangui, the capital boasts smart restaurants, a Chinese football stadium and hotels. A partial peace has been secured with some of the rebels, but the tough lesson learnt from Darfur is that without bringing all parties around the negotiating table, any deal is likely to fail. (BBC News -- Africa)
Official: Darfur Destabilizing Region Apr 2, 2007
BANGUI, Central African Republic The U.N. humanitarian chief said Saturday that the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region was destabilizing neighboring Chad and the Central African Republic and a comprehensive solution to the region's problems was needed. John Holmes, the U.N. undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs, concluded a 10-day tour of the region by saying he was struck by "the magnitude of the humanitarian challenge in these three countries" and calling for a strong political effort... (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Central African Republic: UN Pledges Support for Civilians 'Hiding in Bush' Apr 1, 2007
The Under-Secretary-General then headed to the capital, Bangui, for talks with Gen. Lamine Ciss;, the Secretary-General's Special Representative and the Head of the UN Peacebuilding Office in the CAR (known by its French acronym, BONUCA). He is also expected to meet with CAR Prime Minister lie Dot. (allAfrica.com)
Central African Republic:Military Abuses Will Be Probed, Leader Tells UN Official Apr 1, 2007
"The President and I held useful talks on a range of issues, from the urgent and immediate humanitarian needs, to the problems caused by under-development," said Under-Secretary-General John Holmes following his meeting with President Fran;ois Boziz; in Bangui, the capital. "I emphasized my concern about reports of abuses by all parties against civilians, including the people in the bush with whom I had spoken. President Boziz; told me that any Government military abuses would be investigated... (allAfrica.com)
INTERVIEW-Central African Republic plans bond to build peace Apr 1, 2007
BANGUI, March 31 (Reuters) - Central African Republic plans to issue a bond on a new regional bourse later this year to help raise funds to boost its ailing economy and curb insecurity, the country's prime minister told Reuters in an interview. The former French colony, which languishes at the bottom of most development rankings, is notoriously unstable and while the government has pinned its hopes for growth on gold, diamonds and other minerals, there is little industrial extraction. (AlertNet)
Hijacker arrested by Sudan snipers Mar 31, 2007
Al-Taher al-Mardi, Al Jazeera s correspondent in Sudan, reported sources as saying that the hijacker originally demanded to land in Bangui, the Central African Republic capital, but was persuaded by the crew to allow the aeroplane to land in Khartoum for refueling, where Sudanese authorities were able to take all passengers off the plane and arrest the hijacker. Source: Al Jazeera and agencies. (Aljazeera.Net)
'Ghost town' after attack on CAR Mar 23, 2007
The BBC's Joseph Benamsse in the capital, Bangui, says it is clear that both regular troops and rebels are responsible for the destruction of Birao. A female medical worker still living in the devastated town accused all the forces on the ground for what happened there. (BBC News)
Central African town left empty after clashes -UN Mar 22, 2007
BANGUI, March 21 (Reuters) - Almost the entire population of Central African Republic's northeastern town of Birao have fled into surrounding scrubland after clashes between government forces and rebels this month, a U.N. official said on Wednesday ... "Close to 14,000 people lived in Birao before the recent clashes," Lanzer said in a statement after returning from the town, a three-hour flight from the capital Bangui and virtually unreachable by road for large parts of the year. (AlertNet)
Sudan:'Fundamental' Split Stops UN Peacekeeping in Darfur Mar 20, 2007
The next leg will be in eastern Chad, with the final stage in northern CAR and that country's capital, Bangui. Meanwhile, the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) reports that armed attacks on villages continue in Darfur, with the latest strike against a village north of the West Darfur provincial capital of El Geneina. (allAfrica.com)
Tales of terrorKidnappings and banditry force many to flee to Chad from CAR Mar 11, 2007
" Mr Ahi and his family are soon loaded on to a truck, and we watch as they are driven to safety in a nearby refugee camp. Sons shot Almost 50,000 other refugees like Amadou are now living in camps in southern Chad. Those who have escaped describe how law and order in the north of CAR has completely broken down. Ever since President Francois Bozize took power in 2003, his government forces have been engaged in a low-level war with rebels who are trying to overthrow him. Refugees say both rebels... (BBC News -- Africa)
