On September 15, 2014, the United Nations took over a regional African peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic. The UN command will increase the number of peacekeeping troops to 12,000 joining 4,800 African troops and 1,000 international police from the previous mission. The UN is also working to secure better financing and air support for the mission. Humanitarian groups noted that while the presence of African Union and French peacekeepers has helped deter some of the violence, it has not stopped attacks on civilians.

The new UN peacekeeping mission should improve protection for civilians in eastern and central parts of the country where sectarian violence has been increasing. UN peacekeepers are focusing on the protection of civilians and while working to build safe zones and support the country’s government.

Since violence broke out in December 2012 between Séléka rebels and Christian anti-balaka militia groups, thousands have died, more than 650,000 have been internally displaced (with more than 232,000 in the capital city of Bangui alone) and 300,000 have fled across the borders as refugees. According to the UN, close to 2.2 million people are in need of humanitarian aid.

In December 2013, a new wave of violence broke out in the city of Bangui sending people fleeing from their homes in search of safety and shelter. During the escalation of violence, communities were raided and homes burned. Salesian missionaries, who were already working in communities in the Central African Republic prior to the outbreak, reported at the time that a Salesian center in Galabadja had been host to 20,000 internally displaced people and one in Damala had taken in an estimated 50,000. Many displaced victims arrived at the Salesian centers injured and in desperate need of medical attention.

Because there was an influx of so many over a short period of time, resources were limited. Salesian missionaries partnered with Doctors Without Borders to convert one of the rooms at a Salesian center in Bangui into a small health facility. Doctors have been able to treat a variety of ailments suffered by those arriving at the center for the first time and those who have been sheltering there. Thanks to the Salesian center, Doctors Without Borders has had access to a safe work space, electricity, water and coordination of services, enabling them to carry out much needed emergency and ongoing health services.

While the situation has improved and many have left the shelter of Salesian centers, the situation remains precarious. Those still internally displaced are homeless and have no other source of shelter and food other than what’s provided at the Salesian centers. Education has also been virtually non-existent within the country as schools remain closed or without teachers. In Bangui, classes are expected to resume in October but it remains unclear when technical institutes and universities will resume classes.

Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, launched an emergency fund in December 2013 to assist with this and other emergencies in Africa. People who want to make a donation to help those in need can go to the donation page on SalesianMissions.org and select “African Crisis Fund.”

See related story:

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Sources:

ANS – Central African Republic – About 500 evacuees remain in the Salesian parish of Galabadja

United Nations – Central African Republic: Ban welcomes official deployment of UN mission

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.

The post CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Salesian Centers Still Caring for More than 25,0000 Displaced first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Central African Republic has descended into chaos since the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel coalition seized power a year ago. Its abuses on the majority Christian population triggered waves of revenge attacks, leading to thousands of deaths and displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians, including the majority of the country’s Muslims.

The Chadian troops were escorting the last 540 Muslim residents of the northwestern town of Bossangoa to Gore in Chad when militia attacked the convoy at night on April 11 as it passed through Boguila, around 310 miles (500 km) north of the capital Bangui.

The Chadian soldiers fought back, and three wounded were later admitted to MSF facilities in Boguila and Paoua.

“We witnessed the majority of the population fleeing in panic to the bush,” Stefano Argenziano, MSF head of mission in the country, said in a statement on Tuesday, estimating that around 7,000 people were displaced in the clash.

“We are worried that the gun battle may have resulted in more people being injured. For the moment we cannot access the area to verify if this is the case and evacuate the wounded,” Argenziano said.

The United Nations said earlier this month it was trying to urgently evacuate 19,000 Muslims from Bangui and other parts of Central African Republic who are surrounded by anti-balaka Christian militia threatening their lives.

Chadian troops, at the heart of African efforts to stabilise the country, have escorted convoys carrying tens of thousands of Muslims.

N’Djamena began withdrawing its troops from Central African Republic’s African Union peacekeeping mission, known as MISCA, earlier this month, however, following a series of violent incidents including an attack on a market that killed 30 civilians.

MISCA officers confirmed on Tuesday that Chad had competed its withdrawal and the AU mission and soldiers from a French intervention force had replaced them.

“They left with all their kit without waiting to be relieved,” said a MISCA commander whose Congolese troops had replaced the Chadians in the towns of Kabo and Batangafo.

The United Nations Security Council last week authorized the creation of a nearly 12,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force in the Central African Republic in a bid to end the violence. The U.N. operation will assume authority on Sept. 15 from the 5,600-strong MISCA force.

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by Crispin Dembassa-Kette

PHOTO: Children stand during rain in front of Saint Michel Catholic church in the town of Boda, Central African Republic, April 14, 2014. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic

See this article at its original location >

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Since violence broke out in December 2012 in the Central African Republic between Séléka rebels and Christian anti-balaka militia groups, thousands have died, more than 650,000 have been internally displaced (with more than 232,000 in the capital city of Bangui alone) and 2.2 million people are in need of humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations.

In December 2013, a new wave of violence broke out in the city of Bangui sending people fleeing from their homes in search of safety and shelter. During the escalation of violence, communities have been raided and homes burned. There have also been reports of brutal attacks on women and children. Salesian missionaries, who were already working in communities in the Central African Republic prior to the outbreak, report that a Salesian center in Galabadja has been host to 20,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) and one in Damala has taken in an estimated 50,000 IDPs. Many displaced victims arrive at the Salesian centers injured and in desperate need of medical attention.

With the influx of so many over a short period of time, resources have been limited. A Salesian partnership with Doctors Without Borders has resulted in a local Salesian center receiving donations of medications and medical supplies to care for those internally displaced. Converting one of the rooms into a small health facility, doctors have been able to treat a variety of aliments in those arriving at the center for the first time and those who have been sheltering there.

Thanks to the Salesian center, Doctors Without Borders has had access to a safe work space, electricity, water and coordination of services, enabling them to carry out much needed emergency and ongoing health services. The donated medical supplies have allowed doctors to treat everything from knife and firearm wounds to contagious illnesses, infections and minor injuries.

“Many lives have been saved because of the work that Doctors Without Borders is doing at the Salesian center and thanks to this donation of critically needed medical supplies,” says Jessica O’Connor, property and logistics officer at the Salesian Missions Office for International Programs. “If people in Bangui did not have the access to medical care at the Salesian center, they would have few other opportunities. The injuries and the infirmities of our beneficiaries could have degenerated until death in many cases.”

Donated medical supplies that were not needed at the Salesian center and were more suited to services in a larger medical setting, were donated to a hospital in the city.

“The partnership with Stop Hunger Now allows Salesian Missions to expand its scope of services to those in need in our programs around the globe,” adds O’Connor. “Stop Hunger Now is one of our favorite partners to work with because they are very flexible. They actively seek out opportunities to enhance shipments with additional donated items that the beneficiaries need, and they go the extra mile to help Salesian Missions meet any additional emergency requests that we receive.”

While the situation at Salesian centers in Bangui remains under control it is precarious and aid, particularly food aid, for those displaced is still needed.

Headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, Salesian Missions—the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco—has launched a donation appeal to aid in the humanitarian assistance for those displaced. Donations are urgently needed to get necessary medical, food and other life-saving supplies to those in Salesian centers. Since missionaries were already working in the affected communities, their response was immediate. As the Salesians continue to provide safety and shelter for displaced families, they are reaching out for support so they may continue to help those in need. To give to the effort, go to www.SalesianMissions.org and select “African Crisis Emergency Fund” on the donate page.

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Photo: Juan Carlos Tomasi/MSF

Sources:

Salesian Missions Launches Emergency Fundraising Drive to Assist Missionaries Who Are Providing Shelter and Aid to 20,000 People Fleeing Violent Attacks in the Central African Republic

Salesians of Don Bosco, Province of St. Philip the Apostle E-Service Vol. 11, No. 37
March 13, 2014 – Article “Do You Remember Central Africa?”

UN – ‘Extremely grave’ situation in Central African Republic demands urgent action – UN official

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.

The post CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Medical Supply Donation is Saving Lives Thanks to Ongoing Partnership between Salesian Missions, Stop Hunger Now first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Despite the presence of international armed forces in the capital of Central African Republic (CAR), fighting, lynchings and violent attacks are still a daily occurrence in Bangui, and the situation in the city appears to be out of control.

Since early December, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams working in several surgical medical city projects have helped more than 1,000 victims of violence. Between 15 and 20 wounded people arrive each day at the Castor health center, where MSF teams have treated a total of 343 victims of violence since 7 December. At the Hôpital Communautaire, MSF teams are treating 15-20 wounded patients per day, and have provided care for a total of 648 victims of violence between 2 and 27 December. Some 428 of those patients were hospitalised; 368 had gunshot wounds and 128 had wounds caused by machete blades.

“We have been receiving more patients with serious injuries at the Hôpital Communautaire the last few days,” said Laurent Sury, MSF’s emergency coordinator in Bangui. “People are coming in with machete wounds to the head, hands and arms – injuries sustained as they tried to defend themselves. We’ve also seen people who have been stabbed, sometimes multiple times, in the abdomen, and people who have been either tortured or brutally beaten. We have even had a case of impalement. For the most part, these are young men.”

Violence hinders aid provision

Health facilities have also been affected by the violence, hindering the provision of medical aid. An armed man entered the MSF dispensary at Bangui airport on 24 December, while on the same day a man armed with grenades entered the Hôpital Communautaire. On 25 December, there was gunfire and large numbers of armed men in the vicinity of the Hôpital Communautaire, three of whom entered the building, and the teams had to temporarily evacuate the hospital.

On 29 December, a Ministry of Health ambulance was stopped and the ambulance staff were threatened with violence, preventing them from collecting the wounded. On the same day, armed men returned to the Hôpital Communautaire with the intention of lynching a number of patients, while Ministry of Health staff were threatened.

Although the situation was defused on each of these occasions, the security of patients has been repeatedly threatened.

Atmosphere increasingly tense

“The atmosphere is getting increasingly tense with each of these ‘visits’, as the attackers become more and more aggressive and angry,” said Thomas Curbillon, MSF’s head of mission in Bangui. ”It is totally unacceptable that health facilities are not being respected and are being invaded by armed people who constitute a threat to patients and staff. The insecurity and the gunfire in different areas, especially around the hospital, impede people’s ability to move around. It hinders us from reaching wounded people, and also hinders patients who want to reach medical care. The sick and the wounded do not have the timely and secure access to medical care that they need, when they need it.”

On 9 December, MSF called for an end to violence against patients and medical staff working in healthcare facilities in Bangui. Today, MSF reiterates its call to all parties to the conflict in CAR to allow the sick and wounded to receive the medical care that they need. MSF calls for an immediate end to violence against civilians, patients and medical staff working in healthcare facilities, in Bangui and in the rest of the country.

ABOUT MSF IN CAR:

MSF has been working in Central African Republic since 1997, and now runs seven regular projects in Batangafo, Boguila, Carnot, Kabo, Ndéle, Paoua and Zémio, and four emergency projects in Bangui, Bossangoa, Bouca et Bria. By the end of January, MSF hopes to initiate activities in hospitals and Bangassou Uango. In total, MSF is providing free medical care to about 400,000 people in the country, with more than 100 international staff and 1,100 local staff working in seven hospitals, two health centres and 40 health posts across the country.

> See this Doctors Without Borders article at its original location

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“There is no food, people are sleeping on the ground, there is nowhere else to go,” says Salesian Father Vicente Grupeli. “There are no toilets or washing facilities and we have no drinking water.”

They also are without adequate food and water. However, Fr. Grupeli’s greatest fear is a cholera outbreak, which he says is a serious threat if more aid is not received soon.

A Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) team has been providing medical care in the Salesian compound in Duékoué on a daily basis since December. On April 19, MSF reported:

The pressure on the camp is enormous. The number of people sheltering there far surpasses its capacity, and more are continuing to arrive. In surrounding villages, many people are still hoping to make their way to this dreadful safe haven.

“In our dispensary, consultations have recently doubled and in some rooms we have two consultants because of the lack of space,” says Dr. Mohamadou Seyni, who coordinates MSF’s activities in the camp. “After the days of violence, we had a lot of trauma and injuries that we needed to refer to our team in the hospital in town, but now most of our consultations are for malaria. Yesterday, out of 120 children tested, 80 had malaria.”

On April 4, the Salesian Info Agency (ANS) reported that “there are only two Salesians there who have to try to respond to the appeals for help from about 20,000 people.”

Since then, the number of people seeking shelter and assistance at the Salesian compound has grown to at least 30,000. A report from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) confirms the massive numbers and shows completed registrations for more than 27,500 internally displaced persons (IDPs) seeking refuge in and around the Salesian compound in Duékoué.

The numbers are growing and people are afraid to leave and return home.

“It would be naive to believe that they will return home immediately,” says Fr. Gupeli.

The fears are warranted. Catholic News Service (CNS) reported that armed robbers attacked members of the faculty of a Jesuit-run theology school in the Ivorian capital of Abidjan on April 17, as the priests were preparing for dinner. Students have not been at the school for several months due to escalating violence in the area. The robbers entered school grounds by jumping over a security wall, then quickly disarmed the guards on duty and attacked a deacon.

This illustrates why U.N. forces have guarded the Salesian compound ever since the violence erupted, making it one of the only places civilians feel safe (even with the health threats they face due to lack of adequate clean water and sanitation). Like all Salesian workings around the globe, safety is paramount and is evident in the large security walls and guards. But the presence of the U.N. forces doesn’t ease the fears of the people. Rather, it indicates the seriousness of the situation.

“This does not mean that there is more security,” says Fr. Gupeli. “On the contrary, the people are afraid.”

The Salesian Missions compound — created to serve as a vocational training center, a home for children and a youth center — suspended all activities to care for the tens of thousands who have overwhelmed the facility, according to Fr. Grupeli.

ANS reports, “to cope with this tragic situation, the Salesians and the refugees are in urgent need of help from the main humanitarian aid agencies.”

The Salesian mission office in Madrid launched an urgent appeal for food, water, medical supplies and other needs that are in short supply. Information about the campaign can be found at www.misionessalesianas.org.

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SEE RELATED ARTICLE (4-4-2011): IVORY COAST: Tens of Thousands Seek Safety at Salesian Compound After Massacre

SOURCES:

International Organization for Migration

Salesian Info Agency

Catholic News Service

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

The post IVORY COAST: Fear, Population Grow at Salesian Compound in Duékoué Where 30,000 Seek Safety first appeared on MissionNewswire.