Central African Republic votes amid fears of unrest
Bangui, Central African RepublicAP Central African Republic held presidential and legislative elections Sunday amid fears of violence after a campaign period marked by fighting between rebels and government forces. Voters came out in large numbers in the capital, while in other parts of the country fewer people went to polling stations because of fears of […]
Children head to diamond mines in pandemic-hit Central African Republic
Ngoto, Central African RepublicThomson Reuters Foundation Since the coronavirus forced his school to close in March, Papin has been working six days a week at a diamond mine in the Central African Republic – hauling sacks of mud and rubble under a hot sun. He is among a dozen children working at the open-pit mine […]
Central African Republic seeks justice for rural victims of sexual violence
Bangui, Central African RepublicThomson Reuters Foundation Restoring court operations in rural parts of the war-torn Central African Republic is vital to tackling sexual violence and ensuring victims can seek justice, a top government official said, as the coronavirus pandemic fuels gender-based abuse. Rape has been widely used as a weapon of war in the country […]
Vatican-owned hospital makes history by separating conjoined twins
Vatican CityRNS Vatican-owned hospital Bambino Gesú made history on Tuesday when it announced it had successfully separated conjoined twins brought to Rome from the Central African Republic. “Ervina and Prefina have been born twice,” said the teary-eyed mother, Ermine, during the press conference on Tuesday. Ermine, centre, holds her separated twin daughters Ervina and Prefina […]
Central African Republic sees sharp decline in violence
Dakar, SenegalThomson Reuters Foundation Central African Republic may be getting safer, according to new figures from the United Nations that show a sharp drop in the number of attacks and human rights abuses since last year. The head of human rights for the UN mission in the country said a peace deal between the government […]
First aid in years lifts hope for cut-off towns in Central African Republic
Dakar, SenegalThomson Reuters Foundation Aid workers have negotiated with fighters to enter a remote part of Central African Republic for the first time in years, raising hope for other areas, the United Nations said on Tuesday. Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres was the first to reach the town of Mingala, in the southern Basse-Kotto prefecture, […]
Religious leaders hope CAR peace deal will end church, mosque attacks
Nairobi, KenyaRNS The government of the Central African Republic and 14 rebel groups signed a peace agreement on Wednesday, raising hope for an end to one of Africa’s bloody and complex conflicts. Religious leaders hope the latest peace deal will bring an end to attacks on churches and mosques. In this 9th December, 2013, file photo, […]
Ravaged by Ebola and war, Congo named most neglected crisis of 2018
Thomson Reuters Foundation With an Ebola epidemic raging and millions caught in a forgotten “catastrophe” of conflict and hunger, Democratic Republic of Congo was the most neglected crisis of 2018, according to an annual Thomson Reuters Foundation poll of aid agencies. This year’s survey was unusual for the high number of “most forgotten crises”, with […]
Calls for inquiry into UN peacekeepers’ role in massacres in Central African Republic
World Watch Monitor United Nations peacekeepers failed in protecting civilians in the Central African Republic during an attack in November that killed as many as 100 people, among them two priests, according to a report by Amnesty International published 14th December. Multiple eyewitnesses told Amnesty that UN peacekeepers did not stop armed men believed to be members of a […]
Children hurt as another displaced persons camp attacked in CAR
World Watch Monitor A church-run camp for displaced people in south-eastern Central African Republic was attacked on Tuesday, less than three weeks after 60 people, including two priests, were killed in an attack on another camp. Tuesday’s attack took place in the town of Ippy, which is 200 kilometres north of the camp in Alindao targeted […]