Joint statement of the Humanitarian Coordinator and the Minister of Social Affairs and National Reconciliation on the deterioration of humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic

Bangui, 12 July 2017 – The Minister of Social Affairs and National Reconciliation, Virginie Baïkoua, and the Humanitarian Coordinator in the Central African Republic, Najat Rochdi, condemn with the utmost energy the attacks perpetrated by the armed groups against health structures. On 11 July, armed individuals entered with impunity the premises of the Hospital of the town of Zemio City, Haut Mbomou Prefecture, committing serious crimes against civilians. A few days earlier, they had uttered serious threats against displaced persons. Since the end of June 2017, more than 20,000 people have been displaced following a series of confrontations and reprisals between armed groups in Zemio.

Virginie Baikoua and Najat Rochdi stressed that “such acts are prohibited under international law”. This violence seriously hampers humanitarian access and the latest incidents forced international NGOs that were the only providers of health care to suspend their activities and relocate their staff to a safer place. They recalled that under the 12 August 1949 Geneva Convention (CG IV) on the protection of civilians in time of war, “Civilian hospitals organized to give care to the wounded and sick, the infirm and maternity cases, may in no circumstances be the object of attack, but shall at all times be respected and protected by the Parties to the conflict”.

In the same vein, Virginie Baikoua and Najat Rochdi strongly condemned the attacks on the civilian population, which continues to pay the highest price for the destabilizing activities of the armed groups. “With even a temporary suspension of humanitarian activities, more than 20,000 people will be in complete disarray”, they spoke out. “We call on the instigators of this physical and moral violence to put an immediate end to their criminal activities and to place the interests of the affected people above all other considerations,” they added.

The Minister of Social Affairs and the Humanitarian Coordinator also condemned the attacks on humanitarian actors. It is worth noting that in CAR, since the beginning of the conflict, one health structure out of four has been destroyed and one out of two is held by a humanitarian actor. Against this background, Virginie Baïkoua and Najat Rochdi reaffirmed “their unwavering support to NGO staff who risk their lives in order to save lives and alleviate suffering under ever more difficult conditions”. They also expressed “their greatest concern in the face of the exacerbated precariousness and extreme vulnerability in which the displaced are plunged, the majority of whom have already suffered the throes of several successive displacements, a direct consequence of the acts of the armed groups”.

Pour plus d’informations, veuillez contacter OCHA RCA
Joseph Inganji, Chef de bureau, +236 70 73 87 30, inganji@un.org
Yaye Nabo Sène, Cheffe de section, Information publique + 236 70 08 75 65, seney@un.org

Les communiqués de presse d’OCHA sont disponibles sur www.unocha.org ou www.reliefweb.int