GENEVA / CAR UNREST

The UN refugee agency warned that human rights violations including rape and shootings were happening on a routine basis in the Central African Republic (CAR).

(CH UNTV / RECENT)

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:30
• Production Date: 13 August 2013
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND - UNICEF; UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES - UNHCR
• Subject Topical: HUMANITARIAN RELIEF; REFUGEES; DISPLACED PERSONS
• Geographic Subject: CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
• MAMS Id: U130813b

Description

STORY: GENEVA / CAR UNREST
TRT: 2.30
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 13 AUGUST 2013, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / RECENT

Shotlist

FIILE – RECENT, PALAIS DES NATIONS, GENEVA

1. Wide shot, exterior Palais des Nations

13 AUGUST 2013, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

2. Wide shot, press room,
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Marixie Mercado, Spokesperson UNICEF:
“The mobile teams have provided emergency supplies to 19 health facilities serving a population of about 166,000. These facilities had been closed or non-operational for many months due to drug shortages. The 19 sites were selected for assistance because health personnel had returned to work there. UNICEF is planning to reach 26 additional health posts serving 325,00 people with emergency supplies over the next few days.”
4. Cutaway, journalist
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Marixie Mercado, Spokesperson, UNICEF:
“Even before the military coup took over of the country the CAR was already one of the toughest places for a child to survive, consistently rankling among the bottom ten countries in development indicators. The needs have deepened and extended and children are bearing the brunt of a vicious cycle of poverty, poor governance and political instability.”
6. Cutaway, journalist
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Adrian Edwards, Spokesperson, UNHCR:
“Inside CAR itself there are an estimated 206,000 Internally Displaced People. Since mid-July we have seen an additional 4,125 refugees arriving in the Moissala area of Southern Chad.”
8. Cutaway, journalist
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Adrian Edwards, Spokesperson, UNHCR:
“UNHCR is again calling on the CAR government to do more to ensure the safety of people and their property across the country, to avert further displacement and suffering,”
10. Cutaway, journalists
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Adrian Edwards, Spokesperson, UNHCR:
“We have reports on a routine basis of human rights violations of a very serious nature, there are reports of rape, shootings of other incidents as I described the nighttime situation Bangui itself is one in which people are telling us they’re simply not sleeping at night they prefer to keep vigilant and on watch and try and cope by sleeping during the day. So it remains an extremely worrisome situation and CAR retains its reputation as one of the world’s most dangerous countries.”

Storyline

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) warned today (13 August) that human rights violations including rape and shootings were happening on a routine basis in the Central African Republic (CAR).

Speaking to journalists at a briefing in Geneva, Adrian Edwards, Spokesperson for UNHCR said the agency was “continuing to see forced displacement within and from Central African Republic”. He reported that inside CAR itself there were an estimated 206,000 Internally Displaced People. Since mid-July an additional 4,125 refugees have arrived in the Moissala area of southern Chad.

In addition there are also 62,714 refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries since the latest CAR crisis erupted last December – 40,500 of these in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 13,087 in Chad, 4,841 in Republic of Congo, and 4,286 in Cameroon.

Edwards said the agency remains extremely concerned over the situation inside CAR, with continuing reports of lawlessness and insecurity in many areas. At the weekend UNHCR received reports of two people having been killed by armed men allegedly affiliated to Seleka in Bossangoa, in the northwest prefecture of Ouham. Thirty other people were reported killed by the Seleka in the same area.

Edwards said that “UNHCR is again calling on the CAR government to do more to ensure the safety of people and their property across the country, to avert further displacement and suffering.”

Marixie Mercado, spokesperson for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) echoed UNHCR’s concerns. Mercado said that “even before the military coup took over of the country the CAR was already one of the toughest places for a child to survive, consistently rankling among the bottom ten countries in development indicators."

She added that the needs had “deepened and extended and children were bearing the brunt of a vicious cycle of poverty, poor governance and political instability.”

UNICEF has provided emergency supplies to 19 health facilities serving a population of about 166,000 and is planning to reach 26 additional health posts serving 325,00 people with emergency supplies over the next few days.