Two million children at risk

The United Nations Organization warns that two million children are at risk in the Central African Republic, being exposed to violence, not having access to social services or social protection schemes in the aftermath of a power grab by the rebel coalition.

The recent coming to power of the Séléka coalition in the Central African Republic has left an already vulnerable child population at risk. Manuel Fontaine, the Regional Director of UNICEF in Central Africa, stated that the children in the Central African Republic were already some of the most vulnerable in the continent, even before the recent wave of violence and looting which came in the aftermath of the power grab by Séléka.

Séléka entered the capital city, Bangui, on March 24 after launching its offensive in December 2012; the President, François Bozizé, fled leaving a power vacuum and a collapse in law and order.

Manuel Fontaine pointed out that children are already being killed, caught up in the violence and unless something is done, then more will die.

The UNO estimates that around 4.2 million people have been directly affected by the crisis, and half of these - over two million - are children. Apart from the violence and insecurity to which they are subjected, they cannot in many cases attend school or manage to get food supplies.

Ten metric tonnes of emergency supplies were recently stolen from the UN warehouse, these being supplies for 30,000 of the most vulnerable people, including food and medicines. The UN warns that disease and epidemics may soon break out due to the collapse in law and order.

While UNICEF calls on all parties involved in the conflict to lay down their arms and protect civilians' rights, allowing access by humanitarian agencies to the needy, it appears that the Séléka coalition has lost any moral high ground it claimed to possess, having swept to power by the force of arms complaining about the ineptitude of Bozizé's government and the corruption of officials.

If children are being killed on a daily basis, what does this say about the Séléka coalition?

Timofei Belov
Pravda.Ru