Humanitarian Country Team, calls upon all parties involved to end violence after visit to Zémio

(Bangui, 24 November 2014): A mission composed of Humanitarian Country Team members, a representative of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic visited Zémio on 22 November to assess the humanitarian situation after the outbreak of inter-community violence. The mission to the south east of the country called upon all parties involved to end violence and ensure the restoration of social cohesion in the region. “We call upon all parties involved to support social cohesion and peaceful cohabitation among communities through economic revitalization, infrastructure rehabilitation, and grassroots events to promote reconciliation”, Mr Kouassi Lazare Etien, interim Humanitarian Coordinator said after visiting several spontaneous internal displacement sites in the region and meeting local authorities.

The upsurge of violent attacks between communities in the town near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo has left at least fourteen people injured, three killed and more than three thousand displaced, marking the first major inter-community incident in the region since the country’s crisis began in 2012.

The crisis in Zémio, which has a mixed community of both Christians and Muslims, began after the killing of a member of one of the communities on 5 November. The killing triggered retaliation attacks including burning of more than 50 houses in Zémio and the villages of Barth and Bagou, which are located some 40-45 kilometres from Zémio. Grenades and automatic weapons were used in the attacks.

Humanitarian actors in coordination with local authorities are developing common messages to reduce inter-communal violence and to ensure the respect of humanitarian space to allow access to all populations affected. Based on initial discussions between the two communities, a group of senior staff from the mission team stayed in Zemio to facilitate and support the mediation process. “Working alongside the government, the humanitarian community will continue to assist in the creation of livelihoods and to provide durable solutions for the many people whose homes were destroyed,” Mr Etien added.

Over the past year, the country has experienced a major political crisis which has resulted in a violent conflict that has affected nearly the entire population and has left some 2.7 million people, over half the population, in dire need of assistance. The violence has since taken on increasingly sectarian overtones.

For further information please contact:

OCHA CAR: Francois Goemans Head of Office +236 70738730, goemans@un.org;
Gemma Cortes, Head of Public Information Office, +236 70087565, cortesg@un.org
Laura Fultang, Public Information Officer, +236.7018 8064, fultang@un.org

OCHA press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or www.reliefweb.int.