Central African Republic Residents Flee Rebel Violence

Since last year December, the Central African Republic has seen an estimated 240,000 people get displaced in the country. This has occurred in a short time as rebels calling themselves the Coalition of Patriots for Change started causing havoc in the nation. Authorities in the Central African Republic reported that the attacks were happening as the rebel attackers looked to first disrupt elections in December. But because a new government succeeded in taking over with a new president, the rebels then launched attacks to destabilize the new government.

Rebel Fighters cause havoc in the CAR

After President Faustin Archange won the election, rebel fighters enveloped the country in unending violent attacks. Their actions even caused a humanitarian crisis in the already unstable Central African Republic. Hundreds of thousands of people had to live without food or healthcare due to the attacks. Furthermore, because the rebels blocked the main roads between the Central African Republic and Cameroon, the food prices have skyrocketed in the country. This has left numerous families in the CAR unable to afford food for their loved ones.

Humanitarian efforts to help those suffering in the country have also hit a brick wall. This has been so as the rebels control nearly two-thirds of the country, making it difficult to deliver humanitarian aid. In some zones of the CAR, no aid has been provided for nearly a month. The impacts of the violence and the lack of humanitarian access have battered such areas severely. Siwa, for instance, a camp for internally displaced people a few kilometers (miles) from Bangassou, numerous people have suffered. Hundreds of individuals have had to rely on filthy brown water to drink, clean, and cook. Additionally, these people live in makeshift shelters made of leaves and branches from palm trees. Since the camp was created no toilets, have been built in the area, and no food has been delivered to the site for six weeks.

Violence in CAR back in 2013

The instability in the Central African Republic erupted into fighting firstly in the year 2013. During the year, the Seleka Rebels from the north of CAR seized power from then-President Francois Bozize. The Seleka formed a government of their own. But it was challenged by a militia group formed in response to them and called themselves the anti-Balaka. Fighting broke out between the two groups with targeted attacks that left thousands dead and displaced hundreds of thousands more.

The fighting between the anti-Balaka and the Seleka rebels went on for a couple of years. But the Selka rebel President eventually stepped aside amid international pressure. Afterward, an interim government selected organized democratic elections in CAR in 2016, which Touadera won. But since his election into office, President Touadera has faced opposition from forces linked to ex-President Bozize. Much of the recent violence this year erupted after President Touadera won a re-election.

The newly formed rebel coalition in CAR, calling themselves the Coalition of Patriots for Change, includes armed groups from both the ex-Seleka and anti-Balaka. The CAR government forces, with the assistance of Russian and Rwandan allies, have led drives to repel the rebel forces in the past two weeks.