CAR: Thousands of civilians seek refuge with the UN on the Sudanese border
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - Nearly 5,000 fleeing civilians have gathered in recent days around a UN peacekeepers base in the Central African Republic (CAR), near the border with Sudan, after a series of deadly attacks on several villages.
Between 17 and 22 September, clashes erupted in the Central African Republic's Am Dafok town, a border area in the northeast of the country with Sudan, where civil war has been raging since April 2023.
"Several villages in the area were attacked, with direct threats against civilians and destruction of property, including the burning of at least one house that claimed the life of an elderly person," the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs said Thursday.
In total, three civilians were killed and two others wounded, according to the office, which is concerned about the "volatile" situation in this isolated region.
The violence caused the mass displacement of approximately 5,000 people, mostly women, children and the elderly. They sought refuge near the local base of MINUSCA, the UN peacekeeping mission in the CAR.
MINUSCA was deployed to the country after the Seleka, a predominantly Muslim coalition, seized power by force in March 2013 in the capital, Bangui. Abuses by the Seleka, which was officially dissolved that same year, led to the formation of the anti-Balaka movement, a predominantly Christian militia that targeted the country's Muslim civilians, accusing them of collusion with the enemy.
Despite the establishment of a peace process and the organization of elections in 2016, which brought the current president, Faustin Touadéra, to power, instability persists, and the majority of the territory remains under the control of armed groups. Under these conditions, the civil war in neighboring Sudan is only further destabilizing the country, ahead of general elections scheduled for December.
Beyond the immediate losses of the last few days, humanitarian workers in the northeast warn of increased risks of human rights violations, particularly for children separated from their families and women exposed to sexual violence.
Economically devastated, the Vakaga prefecture, in which Am Dafok is located, now hosts more than 60,000 people in need of humanitarian aid.
Faced with this influx, MINUSCA has deployed enhanced protection measures. "Water is also being distributed," said Florence Marchal, spokesperson for the mission, during a press briefing in Bangui, the Central African capital.
MINUSCA said it has intensified its day and night patrols, in coordination with the national army. "Our colleagues on the ground are in constant contact with local authorities and continue to support the mission's existing mechanisms to anticipate and defuse conflicts," Marchal said, highlighting community dialogue efforts.
In this border area, already weakened by the war in neighboring Sudan, the new population displacements are increasing the pressure on some of the most vulnerable communities in Central Africa.
Humanitarian access remains limited by insecurity, exacerbating a crisis in which women and children are paying the highest price.
-0- PANA 26Sept2025
