from OMAN MBIKO in Bangui, Central African Republic
CAR Bureau
BANGUI, (CAJ News) – AN estimated 6 200 people have been displaced amid a series of attacks and counterattacks between the army and Wagner Group-trained militia in the Central African Republic (CAR).
The crisis is ongoing in the eastern parts of the country, mainly Haut-Mbomou.
The displaced equate to around 900 households.
Humanitarian agencies report a massive influx of people to the hospital in Zemio.
Among these are 114 pregnant women, 531 children under the age of five, including 265 girls, and 144 nursing mothers.
This situation is part of a prolonged crisis in Haut-Mbomou, marked by recurrent violence involving self-defence groups and the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC), which has led to atrocities against civilians and previous displacements.
“Urgent humanitarian needs have been identified and humanitarian actors have launched an emergency response,” a spokesperson of a humanitarian agency stated.
The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) also reports that insecurity persists in Vakaga prefecture, near the Sudan border, as non-state armed groups continue to commit human rights violations such as armed robbery, illegal taxation, extortion and theft along key routes.
As a result, the movement of people and goods has been severely restricted, leading to shortages of essential items and driving up the cost of living.
CAR, the landlocked country of over 5 million people, has suffered a series of conflicts since independence in 1960.
General elections are due to be held in December 2025.
Incumbent president Faustin-Archange Touadéra is eligible for reelection after scrapping term-limits.
– CAJ News