PEOPLE OF STRIFE-TORN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC MUST NOT BE FORGOTTEN, UN OFFICIAL STRESSES

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From: UNNews <UNNews@un.org>
Date: 1 Aug 2013 13:00:01 -0400
Subject: PEOPLE OF STRIFE-TORN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC MUST NOT BE
FORGOTTEN, UN OFFICIAL STRESSES
To: news11@ny-mail-p-lb-028.ptc.un.org

PEOPLE OF STRIFE-TORN CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC MUST NOT BE FORGOTTEN,
UN OFFICIAL STRESSESNew York, Aug 1 2013 1:00PMA senior United
Nations human rights official today urged the international community
not to forget the people of the Central African Republic (CAR), where
State institutions remain "close to collapse" and security is
"virtually non-existent."

Violence erupted this past December in CAR – which has been marked by
decades of instability and fighting – when the Séléka rebel coalition
launched a series of attacks. A peace agreement was reached in
January, but the rebels again seized the capital, Bangui, in March,
forcing President François Bozizé to flee.

"The relatively inclusive transitional government which has been set
up remains very weak. While the situation in Bangui has slightly
improved, the State simply does not exist outside of the capital and
there is no rule of law," Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights
Ivan Šimonovic said at the end of a four-day visit to the country.

The recent fighting has further eroded even the most basic services in
the country and exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation
that UN humanitarian officials have said affects the entire population
of 4.6 million people, half of whom are children.

"Beyond Bangui, there is no police, no justice system and no social
services. Security is virtually non-existent and people live in
constant fear," said Mr. Šimonovic.

He added that he was particularly alarmed by the high number of Séléka
members in the streets who do not receive any salary and set up check
points, asking for money or just looting houses.

"The extent of the looting and destruction I witnessed is shocking.
When I visited Bambari's courtroom, I only found an empty room with
broken doors, no windows and a thick layer of remnants of archives and
registries covering the floor," he said in a news release.

"State institutions, including justice, in the Central African
Republic look today exactly like this courtroom," said Mr. Šimonovic.
"How will this country hold fair elections if all its archives and
civil registries are being destroyed?"

He said the country has reached an "unprecedented" level of violence
and destruction since the Séléka coalition forces from the north
launched their offensive last December.

While noting that the total number of victims remains unknown, Mr.
Šimonovic visited a site of a likely mass grave in Bambari – the third
biggest town in the country – that still has to be investigated.
Members of the local community said that victims were summarily
executed but could not confirm the identity of perpetrators. He also
voiced concern about the high rate of sexual violence in CAR.

"The chaotic situation in the country is affecting all aspects of
people's daily lives," he said. "State schools have remained closed
since December 2012 and less than 20 per cent of medical facilities
are operational." Afraid of killings and rapes, many people continue
to hide in the bush, living on roots.

"Rapidly spreading malaria and other diseases, high maternal mortality
and malnutrition are likely to kill many more than the conflict
related violence itself," Mr. Šimonovic warned. "In some areas, less
than 20 per cent of the crops have been planted and severe food
shortages can be expected for early 2014."

He said he is extremely concerned by the lack of attention given to
the humanitarian and human rights situation in CAR, both by the media
and the international community.

"The conflict in the Central African Republic should not remain
forgotten for three main reasons: conflict will continue to impose
suffering on large numbers of people, it will deepen the religious and
ethnic divide, and it may destabilise the wider region," he warned.

"Restoring security is essential to bring some normalcy back
throughout the whole country, avoid further deepening the ethnic and
religious divide and facilitate national reconciliation."

The Assistant Secretary-General added that disarmament, integration
and joint training of a limited number of vetted elements of both
former security forces and Séléka, excluding perpetrators of human
rights violations, is the way forward. However, it does not resolve
the problem of the current security vacuum," he noted.

A key step to restoring security, he said, is to urgently reinforce
the regional African troops already on the ground with "a larger and
more diversified international force under the logistical umbrella of
the United Nations."

He also stressed the importance of transitional justice and
accountability for the rebuilding and stability of the country,
stating that perpetrators of human rights violations should not remain
unpunished.Aug 1 2013 1:00PM
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