Brussels, 06/01/2014 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission and the UN will hold an international conference in Brussels on 20 January to take stock of the humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic where the humanitarian disaster and chaos increase by the day despite the French military operation Sangaris triggered one month ago to back the African-led international support mission in the Central African Republic (AFISM-CAR).
Kristalina Georgieva, the European commissioner for international cooperation, humanitarian aid and crisis response, made the announcement on Monday 30 December, expressing her great concern about the magnitude of the current tragedy in a country where the inter-religious violence and massacres are on the rise. This insecurity, and the risk that the whole region could be destabilised, is a major obstacle to bringing aid to the country.
“The humanitarian tragedy in the Central African Republic continues to unravel in front of our eyes. The entire population of 4.6 million people is affected - 800,000 people are internally displaced. Since early December, in the capital Bangui alone, the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) has grown from 30,000 to now over 370,000, and 230,000 people have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, underlining the regional dimension of the disaster. Ever since the beginning of the current crisis, in March 2013, security and protection of civilians have been the primary concern (…). This remains the case”, Georgieva said on 30 December. She considered that the French intervention was “of crucial importance for the protection of civilians and to contribute to an environment in which humanitarian assistance can be delivered safely to all in need”.
Since then, the situation has grown worse. The 1,600 French military, whose mission of disarmament has changed into a security and interposition mission, are struggling to prevent the massacres between those supporting the ex-Seleka rebels and those supporting the anti-Balakas self-defence militias. To date, the United Nations high commissioner for refugees has calculated at 935,000 the number of displaced persons since the March coup.
The high-level international meeting convened by Georgieva and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos on 20 January aims to “take stock of the humanitarian challenges in CAR and identify priorities for a sustained and effective humanitarian engagement. Crucially, on the ground, the imperative remains to provide security for civilians and create a safe environment for the delivery of much-needed assistance by humanitarian agencies”, the commissioner said.
Furthermore, every possibility for a CSDP operation to contribute to the stabilisation of Central Africa will be presented by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton at the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday 20 January, as decided by the European Council on 20 December 2013 (see EUROPE 10989). In 2013, the European Commission alone provided nearly €40 million in emergency aid to the Central African Republic and set in place a humanitarian air bridge between the Cameroon and Bangui. (AN/transl.jl)