Violence in the Central African Republic has uprooted nearly a million people, a fifth of the population, and is hampering aid efforts, particularly in the capital Bangui, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said yesterday.A flare-up in violence between Muslim fighters and Christian militias has displaced more than 200 000 people in the past few weeks alone, leaving a total of 935 000 homeless.
A Muslim rebel group, the Seleka, unleashed a wave of killing and looting after seizing power in March, and the deployment of 1 600 French and nearly 4 000 African Union peacekeepers has done little to contain the tit-for-tat violence between religious communities.
In the riverside capital alone, more than 510 000 people are displaced — equivalent to more than half the city’s population, UNHCR said. Just over half of them are children. — Reuters.