For a country already battling with poverty, political unrest proved to be another nail in the coffin. The streets of the Central African Republic are now signified by the multitude of bodies that lay there or heartless militants who hide behind their guns. They resonate with the cries of helpless children who lost their families. According to UNICEF, “The Central African Republic is one of the toughest places in the world to be a child.” The crisis not only made life hell for this generation but is likely to have a huge impact on the generations to come. The question that arises here is “Till when will we tolerate innocent women and children being brutally murdered as collateral damage?”
Seleka rebels, anti-balaka militias, and other armed groups have turned the region into a battlefield. The most serious incident occurred on May 21 2020, when fighters of rebel group Return, Reclamation, Rehabilitation, or 3R, killed 46 civilians in coordinated attacks in Ouham-Pendé province. Peace cannot be established while armed groups deceive the world by promising peace agreements on one hand and commit serious human rights abuses against civilians on the other. What added fuel to the fire was the government appointing members of the armed groups to significant official positions.
While UN intervention by sending peacekeeping forces maintained order to an extent, the challenges faced hindered its effectiveness. In January 2020, fighting broke out between UN peacekeepers and fighters from the Union for Peace in the Central African Republic (UPC), when UPC fighters killed two policemen in Bambari. The violence continued later in April when the villages in Kouango and Mobaye, in Ouaka and Basse-Kotto provinces were attacked by UPC, forcing thousands of civilians out of their homes. Clashes between other parties also added to the death toll, ruining peace in the region. The UN peace deal promised freedom for the humanitarian workers as well. Alas, CAR is still proclaimed as one of the most unsafe countries in the world for humanitarian personnel and property.
Standard of living dropped significantly when thousands of people were forced to leave their homes and move to other regions or were internally displaced. Based on UN figures, about 1.2 million people have been forced to flee their homes, most of who stay in camps that rarely receive humanitarian assistance thus surviving in dire conditions. The matters worsened because of the fact that Africa was already underdeveloped with poor economic growth which stunted due to the unrest. The consequences have been severe with more than half of the country relying on humanitarian aid to prevent the population from starving to death. The chaotic atmosphere led to schools closing down and hospitals barely functioning. While the crisis was undoubtedly the result of adult decisions, children are paying the price, risking the future of the country.
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