Refugees Fleeing C. Africa Double In A Week To 60,000: UN
According to the United Nations, the number of refugees fleeing violence after the Central African Republic presidential election last month doubled to 60,000 in a week.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR said more than 50,000 people had fled across the Ubangi River to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On Wednesday alone, 10,000 people arrived at the DRC as rebels attacked near the CAR capital, Bangui.
UNHCR spokesman Boris Chesirkov told reporters, “The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has been forced to evacuate to neighboring countries since December, so all in CAR. We want an immediate end to the violence. ” In Geneva.
He has arrived in neighboring Cameroon, Chad and the Republic of the Congo with about 9,000 CAR refugees in the past month, in addition to those who have crossed the DRC, but an additional 58,000 are still internally displaced within the CAR. Said that.
“UNHCR and CAR partners are collecting reports of abuse by armed groups, including sexual violence, attack on voters, and looting,” Chesirkov said.
“UNHCR calls for all parties to return immediately to meaningful dialogue and progress towards peace. Last month’s events since the beginning of reports of election-related violence have been the recent return of Central African refugees. Overturn the trend. “”
The landlocked CAR is one of the poorest countries in the world and has experienced a series of coups and wars since its independence from France in 1960.
According to the United Nations, CAR rebels were pushed back on Wednesday after losing peacekeepers after launching the closest attack on Bangui on the Ubangi River opposite the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Rebels have launched an offensive pledge to march in the capital ahead of the disputed presidential election on December 27, which the government calls an attempted coup.
On January 4, President Faustin-Archangea was declared the winner of the vote, but CAR’s political opposition shouted a foul.
Results account for only about half of registered voters, as hundreds of thousands were unable to vote in rebel-owned areas.
The Refugee Office said it was already seeking $ 151.5 million this year to respond to the CAR situation.
However, UNHCR predicted that it would soon face a major shortage in light of the needs of those chasing homes and called on the international community to expand its support.
“UNHCR and its partners are expanding their support for new arrivals, despite the poor infrastructure that hinders humanitarian response,” said Chesirkov.
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