Central African Republic: Neglected crisis

The crisis in the Central African Republic (CAR) is affecting hundreds of thousands across the country.  People are desperate as armed violence continues and there is frequent looting.   But despite the severity of the problems in CAR, this crisis has largely neglected been by both the international community and media.

Some villages have been completed destroyed, forcing people to flee.  Mother of four, Nicole Ngou-Ngou, fled her village in the centre of the country as it burned.  "Children's clothing, beds, plates, shoes - everything was burned. They (her children) only have the shoes you see on their feet. "

Since fleeing, Etienne Dabé has been sleeping in the bush in a rough shelter he made for his 12 children.  "We are not eating well.  The insects bite us.  We are ill," says Dabé.  "I had surgery and since I was forced to flee into the bush, I have pain in my stomach."

Like Dabé, hundreds of thousands in CAR are cut off from health care.  In the villages of Nana-Outa, Mbrès and Ouandango, fighting between various groups has totally destroyed the village's medical facilities.  Many doctors and nurses fled. 

Mbrés health centre was ransacked in February.  Midwife Emilie Gbako is one of two nurses who have returned – the other three midwives are still hiding in the bush.  Gbako says most of the medicine has been stolen.  "In this cupboard, we had a little of everything we needed – even boots to work in," says Gbako.  "Now women are giving birth in the bush and many babies are dying."

Kaga Bandoro hospital faced a similar fate.  ICRC health delegate Géo Balmore, explains:  "Before, the hospital was working well with surgeons and a medical team.  But since the crisis, everything was ransacked and looted." 

As Kaga Bandoro hospital is not functioning, Balmore is preparing a patient with bullet wounds for medical evacuation to the capital.  "Without surgeons or materials, we can't keep him here with bullets still lodged in his chest," states Balmore.  Since January, the ICRC has flown 50 patients to medical facilities in Bangui. 

The constant lack of security also means that many people do not  have enough to eat. Food prices have  increased and  food reserves have been depleted.  With the rainy season approaching, the ICRC has been delivering emergency aid and much needed seeds and tools.  The aim is to ensure people have enough to eat now and can produce enough to eat until the next growing season.

Madeleine Keke is mother to 8 children and keen to start planting before the rain comes: "These seeds will help my family. If you eat your seeds, it's suicide. Keep them and plant them."

The Red Cross is also working with families to build a new village for people who have been living in basic huts since 2012.  Stefan Bigler, head of ICRC's Kaga Bandoro, sub–delegation explains: "The residents themselves are making the bricks and bringing in other construction materials. The ICRC is helping by bringing in material that can't be locally sourced like bamboo and straw."

So far 50 houses have been built and a further 90 houses will be constructed.  Maïgo Maketa, mother of 5 says her old house used to flood when it rained and termites would destroy their beds.   Their house in the newly constructed village will greatly improve life. Clarisse says: "Now we have a real house without termites and maggots."

Facts and Figures

•  Since the end of May, two ICRC mobile clinics have been providing basic health care to people living in the remotes villages of Nana Gribizi (Mbrès, Dissoukou, Ouandago). So far, over 1,300 patients have been seen. Half of the patients were babies between 0 and 4 years old.
• From April to June, ICRC provided over 4,000 families, displaced by armed violence in the centre and north of the country, food and essential households items and/or seeds. In total, 260 tons of food and 235 tons of seeds were distributed.
• Over 500 families who lost their home received emergency assistance (tarpaulins, ropes, blankets) to build up temporary shelters prior to the rain season. 
• Since January, ICRC has met with over 650 CAR weapon bearers to build awareness and respect for International Humanitarian Law (including Séléka and Chadian and South African armies)
• In addition to delivering emergency safe water to displaced people and health facilities in Ndélé and Bangui, ICRC provided over 190 tons of water treatment products in Bangui for four month to ensure people had water from their taps.

Shotlist

Location: Central African Republic
Length: 8:10 mins
Format: Mpeg2 / 16:9 anamorphic / SD
Production: Vincent Pouget / Romaric Bekourou / Nicola Fell
Camera: Serge Kossouate Belalengbi
Sound: French and Sango
ICRC ref: AV090N
Date: 21-25 May 2013 

Copyright: ICRC access all

0:00 Truck in road

0:02 checkpoint

0:07 ICRC car on dirt track

0:14 Various of burnt villages

0:33 Women cooking outside hut

0:49 Inside hut – bags

1:01 SOUNDBITE Nicole Ngou-Ngou, displaced from Ngangué (in Sango)
"Children's clothing, our food ... everything was burned. Beds, plates, shoes. They do not have the shoes you see their feet. In my case, all my pairs of shoes burned, I have no clothes, except those that I wear now."

1:20 Inside hut

1:33 SOUNBITE Etienne Dabé, displaced from Ngangué (in Sango)
"We are not eating well.  The insects bite us.  We are ill.  I had surgery and since I was forced to flee into the bush, I have pain in my stomach."

1:44 Exterior Mbrès health centre

1:50 Broken equipment and medicine

2:26 SOUNDBITE Emilie Gbako, Midwife, Mbrès health centre (in Sango)

2:26 SOUNDBITE Emilie Gbako, Midwife, Mbrès health centre (in Sango)
"There are five of us working in the maternity service."
Question: And now, how many are you?
"Now we are only two."

2:31 "In this cupboard, we could find vaquim2, PTPE medicine. In this cupboard, we had birth kits.  In this cupboard, we had a little of everything we needed for our work – even boots to work in,"

2:54 "Now women are giving birth in the bush and many babies are dying."

3:03 Damaged ambulances

3:24 exterior Kaga-Bandoro hospital

3:28 Empty cupboard

3:41 SOUNDBITE Géo Balmore, ICRC Health Delegate Santé CICR, Kaga-Bandoro hospital (in French)

3:41 "Before, the hospital was working well with surgeons and a medical team.  But since the crisis, everything was ransacked and looted. It's very difficult." 

3:57 "Today, I'm preparing this sick person with bullets in his back and chest to be referred to Bangui. We're referring him to Bangui because we don't have a real operation theatre.  Everything was looted and ransacked.  Without surgeons or materials, we can't keep him here with bullets still lodged in his chest."

4:16 SOUNDBITE Justin Poussouni, patient (in Sango)
"They shot at me and I got two bullets.  The first entered here and came out there.  The second entered here and is still stuck in my chest."

4:29 ICRC medical evacuation

5:13 Distribution of food, seeds and tools

6:02 Keke carrying sack home

6:29 SOUNDBITE Madeleine Keke, displaced from Nana-Outa to new village, Gondava (in Sango)
"These seeds will help my family. If you eat your seeds, it's suicide. Keep them and plant them."

6:43 Building houses

6:59 SOUNDBITE Stefan Bigler Head of sub-delegation, Kaga-Bandoro, ICRC (in French)
"Concretely, it's a project made by the population themselves.  The residents of the village are making their own bricks and bringing in other building material that they can get locally.  ICRC is also bringing in material that can't be sources locally, such as bamboo et straw which we bring by truck form 100 metres form here."

7:34 Building houses

7:46 SOUNDBITE Maïgo Maketa, resident of new village Gondava (in Sango)
"Now we have a real house where we don't see anymore termites and maggots. Snakes regularly visited us when we were flooded.  Termites destroyed our beds."

END 8:10