UN officials speak out against increasing violence in Central African Republic

UN officials have spoken out against the increasing violence in the Central African Republic, a UN spokesman said Tuesday.

The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, met on Tuesday with leaders of political parties in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, to discuss the ongoing attacks against civilians as well as UN personnel and premises, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, at the daily news briefing.

The UN Mission briefed political leaders about the ongoing efforts to put an end to the violence and to stabilize the situation in Bangassou by deploying additional troops to neutralize attackers, protect civilians and facilitate critical humanitarian support to the population, said the spokesperson.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that 25,000 people out of the 35,000 inhabitants of Bangassou will need humanitarian assistance, said Dujarric.

Meanwhile, clashes that erupted in Bria (Haute Kotto) on Monday caused the displacement of around 1,000 people near the UN Mission's base, while over 500 others have sought refugee at the OCHA compound.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, on Tuesday expressed grave alarm over the expanding attacks by armed groups against the civilian population in several parts of the Central African Republic, as well as attacks against UN peacekeepers. Endit