UNHCR chief visits Central African Republic, pledges support for the forcibly displaced
High Commissioner António Guterres pledges to help improve living conditions for refugees and internally displaced people in the Central African Republic.
BANGUI, Central African Republic, March 10 (UNHCR) - UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres has visited refugees and internally displaced people in the Central African Republic and pledged to help improve living conditions for them and their families.
Guterres flew back to Geneva in Switzerland on Wednesday after spending four days in the landlocked African nation in a bid to draw global attention to the plight of more than 30,000 refugees and some 183,000 internally displaced people (IDP) that UNHCR is helping to protect and assist there. The refugees are mostly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, Rwanda and the Sudan
On Saturday, Guterres visited IDPs in the north-western towns of Paoua and Kabo, some 500 kilometres from the capital, Bangui. Representatives of the displaced communities cited shelter, clean water and seeds for cultivation as being among their most pressing needs.
"We lost everything when we fled and our villages are in ruins. We need your help to rebuild our houses," Koure Marie told the High Commissioner in Paoua. She was speaking on behalf of women who, like herself, had returned to their destroyed villages for the first time since fleeing violence five years ago. They had been living in the bushes or sheltering across the border in southern Chad.
After a tour of the damaged villages, Guterres said he was shocked at the appalling conditions that the displaced populations were living in, especially the lack of clean water, schools and health care. "We have limited resources, but we promise to help you restart your lives," he said.
Northern CAR has been plagued by chronic insecurity since 2005, due to the presence of rebels and bandits. The civilians in the region have been harassed by these armed groups. However, despite its instability, the north has also been a place of asylum for refugees from the Darfur region in neighbouring Sudan.
They are living in the Sam Ouandja camp, where they fear for their safety. The High Commissioner visited Sam Ouandja on Sunday. "Rebels constantly threaten us and they don't want to see us step outside our camp. They falsely accuse us refugees of being the cause of trouble in Sam Ouandja," a camp leader, Moussa, complained to Guterres.
"We have to sell our food to pay fines that rebels impose on us for crimes we did not commit," claimed Hawa, another Darfurian refugee. "We have nothing left to eat. We want to go far away from this place," she told Guterres, who assured the refugees that UNHCR would work with the government of the Central African Republic to reinforce their security.
Established in 2007, Sam Ouandja hosts some 3,500 refugees, who fled from violence in Darfur. Most had to walk or go by donkey. Fatma, one of the camp residents, said she fled her village in 2007 when it came under attack. "I grabbed my two children and ran away. We walked for 10 days before we found ourselves here in the Central African Republic," she said, adding: "My husband and our eldest son fled in another direction. I have not heard from them since."
Guterres said the international community had a duty to help the Central African Republic deal with the humanitarian crisis facing refugees and IDPs. "It is unfair that all the attention is focused on Iraq, Afghanistan and Sudan when tens of thousands of civilians are living in dreadful conditions in Central African Republic," he said.
The High Commissioner also met President François Bozizé and other senior government and UN officials in Bangui before flying out of the capital on Tuesday.
By Djerassem Mbaiorem in Bangui, Central African Republic
Related news and stories
Starting over, Central Africans returning home after years of displacement, need support to rebuild
After conflict, the displaced of Central African Republic dream of going home
Thirty years of hope and higher education for refugees in West Africa
UNHCR's Grandi urges more support as Chad confronts multiple crises
Farming initiative transforms refugees' lives in the Central African Republic
Hopeful Central African refugees return home from DR Congo
Your search for « afghanistan » matched 6056 results. Only the first 1,000 results are displayed. Displaying page 11 of 112 pages.
-
Afghanistan: some signs of stability and normalcy returning
14 Dec 2001 ... There are some signs of stability and normalcy returning to parts of Afghanistan, including the ... Moreover, the security situation in many parts of Afghanistan remains tense. For the record, ...... -
Afghanistan: returns pick up sharply
21 Dec 2001 ... Refugees keep returning to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan as the situation in Afghanistan gradually improves and more staff from aid organisations are deployed on the ground. After a lull during ...... -
Afghanistan: returns information campaign in north-west
13 Feb 2004 ... first-hand information on conditions in Afghanistan's north-western Faryab Province is underway ... The recent commitment by regional power broker General Ahmed Rashid Dostum before Afghanistan's ...... -
Afghanistan: Sweden sets generous funding example
9 Apr 2002 ... they undergo briefings about the danger of landmines and security conditions inside Afghanistan. ... Security problems in Afghanistan have disrupted repatriation movements in other areas. In Eastern ...... -
Afghanistan: more than 100,000 have returned
10 Dec 1999 ... of more than 300,000 people inside Afghanistan and a limited but steady flow of refugees ... Despite the unstable situation in parts of Afghanistan, voluntary repatriation remains the most ...... -
Afghanistan signs refugee Convention
2 Sep 2005 ... We are pleased to announce that Afghanistan has acceded to the 1951 Convention relating to the ... With it, Afghanistan becomes the 146th country to ratify either the 1951 Convention or its 1967 ...... -
Afghanistan: IDP returns
3 May 2002 ... In Afghanistan, thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) are returning to villages they fled ... UNHCR is spearheading a programme in Afghanistan aimed at assisting IDPs who are able to return to ...... -
Afghanistan: pace of return remains strong
20 Jul 2004 ... The pace of return to Afghanistan remains strong, with thousands of refugees going back daily. So ... and return home after schools close and in time to help with the growing season in Afghanistan. ...... -
Afghanistan: Repatriation programme suspended
18 Nov 2003 ... In the wake of the killing of a staff member in Afghanistan, we are suspending our programme to help Afghan refugees in Pakistan return home to Afghanistan. Voluntary repatriation centres in Pakistan ......