Over 10,000 displaced by recent violence in northwest CAR

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that a recent wave of violence in Koui and Bocaranga, northwest of the Central African Republic (CAR), has forced more than 10,000 people to flee their homes, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said here Friday.

"The week-long clashes between rival armed groups, including attacks against civilians, is a reminder that the security situation remains fragile and unpredictable despite improvement in security conditions observed in some areas," Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

Humanitarian partners are conducting verification and registration, as well as providing assistance to some of the displaced families, he said.

Since the outbreak of violence in 2013 in the CAR, around 6,000 people have been killed and a quarter of the population has been displaced, with more than 400,000 refugees and 300,000 internally displaced persons.

In September 2013, anti-balaka forces began committing widespread revenge attacks against mostly Muslims civilians, displacing tens of thousands of people to Seleka-controlled areas in the north.

Seleka forces were disbanded by the government shortly after revenge attacks began, but many ex-Seleka members started committing counterattacks, plunging the CAR into a chaotic state of violence and ensuing a humanitarian crisis.

Due to the scale of the crisis, the UN Security Council in April 2014 established a peacekeeping force that incorporated African Union and French forces that had been deployed to the CAR previously.

The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic was established with a strength of 10,000 troops and a mandate to protect civilians. Endit