ICC Note:
Children are being increasingly targeted by militants of the Central African Republic conflict. This conflict is between anti-balaka militias and Seleka forces. The fighting has been going on since 2012, when the Seleka forces overthrew the government and started their own. After this, the anti-balaka forces appeared and started fighting. The worst of the fighting was in 2013, until now. The war has increased again and is now affecting Children greatly. According to UNICEF, “months of renewed fighting have led to an ‘increasing number of violent acts’ targeting the youngest population, including murders, abductions, rape and recruitment into armed groups.” This is terrible and inhumane. Instead of protecting those most in need, children, they are abusing them in every way possible. We pray for an end to this violence and for the safety of the children until it ends.
07/19/2017 Central African Republic (UNNewsCenter) – Renewed fighting in the Central African Republic (CAR) is increasingly targeting children, while there are concerns that the humanitarian needs in the country could escalate to levels not seen since the crisis four years ago, United Nations humanitarian officials today said.
Months of renewed fighting have led to an “increasing number of violent acts” targeting the youngest population, including murders, abductions, rape and recruitment into armed groups, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said.
Christine Muhigana, UNICEF Representative in CAR warned that “armed groups and parties to the conflict must cease these flagrant violations of children’s rights and make every effort to keep children safe.”
The exact numbers of attacks on children is unknown because fighting prevents humanitarian access to many areas, the UN agency said, but “is almost certain to be much higher than officially reported figures.”
In addition to brutal crimes, the intensified violence is preventing children from going to school or even getting basic vaccines.
In the southern areas of CAR, the fighting is driving people to flee into remote areas of northern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where they are nearly out of reach of the humanitarian community.
As of the end of June, some 103,000 CAR refugees were registered in the DRC, said William Spindler, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
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