Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation
MDG : Central African Republic Emergency Situation map : CAR refugees and IDP
Central African refugees and IDPs. Graphic: UNHCR
Central African refugees and IDPs. Graphic: UNHCR

US increases aid to Central African Republic amid new surge of violence

This article is more than 9 years old
Chad closes borders to CAR escapees as lack of ID papers adds to confusion over status of many displaced people

The US has announced it is to increase its humanitarian aid to the Central African Republic (CAR) by $51m (£30m) this year, bringing the total funding to $118m (£69m).

The state department said the new allotment was aimed at people living in CAR, as well as those who have fled to neighbouring countries.

The announcement comes after reports that dozens of people have been killed in CAR this week, following the massacre of 17 Muslims by Christian militia gunmen unleashed a fresh wave of sectarian violence.

According to one peacekeeper, the violence erupted after Christian militiamen, known as the anti-balaka (balaka means machete in Sango, the local language), opened fire on the Muslims, who were in a camp in the central Bambari region.

"Nearly 50 people have been killed since Monday during violence in the region and nearby villages," the officer from the African Union force Misca told AFP. "Most of the victims were shot or stabbed to death."

The officer said the violence was carried out by uncontrolled individuals and small groups, and that civilians had fled to the cathedral, the archbishop's palace, and local government buildings for safety.

In a report published on Tuesday, the International Federation for Human Rights said war crimes and crimes against humanity continued to be committed as the conflict of impunity raged on in the former French colony.

On the same day, the UN special envoy for CAR warned that the political situation had deteriorated over the past month. "The continued insecurity created by the various armed groups is improving too slowly to satisfy the population," Babacar Gaye, head of the UN integrated peacebuilding office in CAR, told the UN security council. "This has led to growing criticism about the inability of the transitional government to deliver on security, which risks undermining its authority."

He said deep distrust among political parties did not bode well for the holding of credible elections early next year.

The crisis has forced hundreds of thousands of people across CAR's borders. As of 19 June, the UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, reported that 378,277 people had fled to neighbouring Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Republic of Congo. Of that number, more than 13,000 have fled since 1 December 2013, unleashing a cycle of religious violence. About 500,000 people – an eighth of the population – have been displaced, including about 132,000 in the capital, Bangui.

In May, Chad closed its border after the government expressed concern that rebels might be infiltrating refugee populations in the area. Chad's president, Idriss Déby, said the crossing would remain shut until the crisis in CAR was resolved.

Earlier this month, a group tried to cross the border at Sido, but were turned away by Chadian officials because they were unable to prove their identities. According to the UN refugee agency's Chad representative, Aminata Gueye, only those with Chadian ID cards were allowed to cross.

"Even if the border is closed, this should not stop people from being able to claim asylum," Gueye said. "We all know that there are many people across Africa who do not have proper identity documents. These people may have walked for weeks to flee from violence and they are turned away because they cannot show an ID card."

She added that this could put Chad in contravention of its international commitments, including its signing of the African Union's convention governing refugees.

MDG : Central African Republic , CAR refugees in Cameroon
Authorities in eastern Cameroon are bolstering surveillance amid growing security concerns. Photograph: Courtesy Monde Nfor/IRIN

The problems the latest group faced at the border reflect the confusion over the status of a large number of other displaced people – they appear to be Chadian returnees who had been living in CAR for several years. Many are Muslims who decided to head to Chad after the anti-balaka reprisal attacks, but they no longer have family connections in southern Chad or papers to prove their identity. Citizenship in this region is complicated by many ethnic groups living on both sides of the border.

Despite the Chadian government's concerns about security in the border regions, which it struggles to control, it has been encouraging its nationals to return home. The government provided flights to repatriate an estimated 18,000 citizens to the capital, N'Djamena.

The UNHCR says it has asked the Chadian government why displaced people are being turned away, particularly at the Sido border crossing. Gueye says she hopes to meet the prime minister, Kalzeubet Pahimi Deubet, soon. The Guardian was unable to contact the Chadian authorities for comment.

Aid agencies say the lack of clarity over the status of the displaced people is hampering efforts to help them. "We estimate there could be at least 10,000 of these so-called stateless people who have neither Chadian nor Central African citizenship," said Clement Cazaubon, country director for Action Against Hunger in Chad.

"They have fled their homes in a great rush, leaving everything behind. Without papers, it is difficult to agree whose responsibility they are – if they're returnees, then the government should look after them; if they're refugees, then it should be UNHCR."

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which operates two clinics in the south at Gore and Sido, says it has been treating people irrespective of their status. "The main problems we're seeing are cases of malaria and respiratory disease. Our main priority is providing shelter in the rainy season, and access to clean water and sanitation," said Sarah Chateau, head of mission for MSF Chad. "For us, it doesn't matter where people come from, but almost all of the care for these displaced people is being provided by NGOs and not the Chadian government."

The UNHCR estimates that 500,000 people – an eighth of the population – have been displaced, including about 132,000 in the capital, Bangui.

Chad has shouldered a huge refugee burden over the past 10 years from crises in neighbouring countries. It is home to about 70,000 people who fled previous conflicts in CAR, most of whom live in camps along the southern border. About 250,000 people from Darfur live on Chad's eastern border with Sudan.

Chad was forced to withdraw most of its soldiers from a peacekeeping mission to CAR this year after accusations of human rights abuses, but it is believed that Chadian irregular Chadian troops are still operating in the border region.

More on this story

More on this story

  • At least 12 killed in violent clashes in capital of Central African Republic

  • UN takes over peacekeeping in Central African Republic

  • UN bolsters Central African Republic peacekeeping troops amid clashes

  • Central African Republic leaders behind sectarian atrocities named

  • Tensions rise in Cameroon as refugees seek bright lights of Bertoua city

  • French photojournalist Camille Lepage killed in Central African Republic

  • Central African Republic: Muslims flee conflict-stricken capital – in pictures

Most viewed

Most viewed