GENEVA / UNHCR PRESSER ON CAR

As the Central African Republic prepares for the visit of Pope Francis to Bangui this weekend, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is urging the country’s warring groups to be inspired by the visit to rebuild the national reconciliation process. UNTV CH

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:08
• Production Date: 27 November 2015
• Asset Language: English
• Personal Subject: POPE FRANCIS
• Subject Topical: ELECTIONS; HUMAN SETTLEMENTS; HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS; REFUGEES; VIOLENCE
• Geographic Subject: CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
• MAMS Id: 1520495
• Parent Id: 1520476
• Alternate Title: unifeed151127b

Description

STORY: GENEVA / UNHCR PRESSER ON CAR
TRT: 2:08
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
DATELINE: 27 NOVEMBER 2015, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND/FILE

Shotlist

FILE/GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Aerial shot, Palais des Nations

27 NOVEMBER 2105, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Dalia Al Achi, UNHCR’s Public Information Officer in Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR):
“There is a lot of enthusiasm among the refugee population when it comes to the upcoming elections. The fact that their own national authorities have gone to the asylum countries to register Central African refugees was very well welcomed. They felt that they were recognised as full members of their society. That somehow it was considered as a step to rebuild the broken trust between their own government and themselves.”
4. Wide shot, press briefing room
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Dalia Al Achi, UNHCR’s Public Information Officer in Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR):
“The main difference between the recent violence and the violence that started in December 2013 is the fact that humanitarian organisations were directly targeted, which is really hindering all humanitarian efforts and which is making it very hard to reach the most vulnerable. In 2013 and 2014 we were able to work, we were able to reach the people and we were welcomed somehow. And now there is an increasing anti-international organisation sentiment and feeling in CAR.”
6. Med shot, journalists
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Dalia Al Achi, UNHCR’s Public Information Officer in Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR):
“Everybody is so happy about this visit. You can see it every day. People are waiting for it. All the cities, there’s huge banners welcoming him. And you see it on the radio shows. People are really expecting this visit and hoping that it will help the reconciliation process and help bridge this artificial divide that was a bi-product of the political crisis.”
8. Med shot, journalists
9. Pan from camera to press briefing room

Storyline

As the Central African Republic prepares for the visit of Pope Francis to Bangui this weekend, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is urging the country’s warring groups to be inspired by the visit to rebuild the national reconciliation process.

At a press briefing today (27 Nov) in Geneva, Dalia Al Achi, UNHCR’s Public Information Officer in Bangui, CAR said that there is some hope about the impending elections. “There is a lot of enthusiasm among the refugee population when it comes to the upcoming elections. The fact that their own national authorities have gone to the asylum countries to register Central African refugees was very well welcomed. They felt that they were recognised as full members of their society. That somehow it was considered as a step to rebuild the broken trust between their own government and themselves.”

UNHCR said that although the situation in Bangui is currently calm but tense, they are concerned at outbursts of violence in the country, which have set back fragile efforts to restore a lasting peace and put planned elections in late December at risk.

A wave of violence has triggered an 18 per cent increase in the number of people displaced within the country since September.

The intra-communal fighting, which started in September and flared up again in late October and November, has left scores of people dead, hundreds of homes destroyed and more than 70,000 people displaced within CAR, reversing a pattern of returns seen in much of the country in the first nine months. Hundreds of people have also fled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo since September. The fighting has already caused one postponement in the presidential and legislative elections, from October 18 to December 27, as well as stoking the sectarian divide and inter-communal tensions.

At least 13 people died, including a UN peace-keeper, and hundreds were injured in November in the latest armed clashes in Bangui, Bambari and Batangafo, which included attacks on sites for internally displaced people. Some 800 shelters for internally displaced people and 120 houses were destroyed in neighbourhoods in Bangui.

Those fleeing their homes have mostly hidden in the bush, fled to other sites or moved to the shelter of UN peace-keeping bases or compounds run by international humanitarian organizations. UNHCR says that the number of internally displaced people rose 18% from 378,400 in early September to 447,500 in November. Central African refugees also continue to cross the Oubangui River into the Democratic Republic of the Congo. During the first three weeks of November, UNHCR registered 1,236 refugees in Equateur province, most of them were new arrivals and many were female-headed families.

Amid sporadic but disquieting reports this month of border incursions from CAR, some refugees have asked to move away from the border. A lack of funding is hampering efforts by UNHCR to provide basic aid and relocate thousands of CAR refugees to safer areas.

The recent waves of displacement have created new needs for protection, emergency shelter, health care and psychosocial support as well as water and sanitation. In many cases, help has been difficult to provide because insecurity has made it difficult to get access to some areas, with some displaced people remaining without assistance for days.

At the same time, humanitarian organizations have been increasingly targeted since September; at least 10 organizations have had their offices and warehouses looted and staff attacked. Dalia Al Achi, UNHCR’s Public Information Officer in Bangui, said that this is a worrying development and that there needs to be guaranteed humanitarian access and protection of aid workers as they try to reach the most vulnerable. “The main difference between the recent violence and the violence that started in December 2013 is the fact that humanitarian organisations were directly targeted, which is really hindering all humanitarian efforts and which is making it very hard to reach the most vulnerable. In 2013 and 2014 we were able to work, we were able to reach the people and we were welcomed somehow. And now there is an increasing anti-international organisation sentiment and feeling in CAR.”

Most agencies remain operational, including UNHCR, which with its partners has provided aid to tens of thousands of newly displaced people in Bangui, Bambari and elsewhere, including tents and emergency shelters, tarpaulins, mats, blankets and kitchen kits.

Today, protection concerns include arbitrary arrests and illegal detention, torture, extortion, armed robbery, beatings, rape and other sexual violence, looting, arbitrary attacks on civilians, burning of villages, kidnapping, forced recruitment by armed group of children and others, restriction of movements.

Dalia Al Achi said that people of all faiths are excited about the visit of Pope Francis and that they are “hoping that it will help the reconciliation process and help bridge the artificial divide that was a bi-product of the political crisis.”