11/22/2004

Photo Credit: UN Dept of Public Information
A young girl sells food at a polling station in Bangui

In 2004, civil conflict displaced approximately 230,000 to 300,000 Central Africans. Since this initial displacement an estimated 200,000 people have reportedly returned to their homes. December 2004 marked the initiation of the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) program created to address the needs of over 7,500 former combatants living within the country. By June 2005, nearly 2,000 former combatants began the disarmament process. Although civilians have begun to reintegrate, the country continues to suffer from inadequate infrastructure, weak government, and poorly developed education and health services. In June 2005, over 8,500 Central Africans fled to Chad after violence broke out between the government and irregular armed forces, adding to the 42,000 Central Africans already living as refugees in Chad. Due to a long history of political instability and the lack of political and economic interest in the Central African Republic by international donors, the country is plagued by human rights abuses, high infant mortality rates, and infectious diseases. Although the demobilization program provides one avenue for funding the rebuilding of the country's infrastructure through the DDR program, greater donor assistance is needed in order to develop a comprehensive response to the country’s needs, including support for the refugees in Chad.

Read more about the Central African Republic.