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8 Things You Need To Know About The Civil War In Central African Republic

8 Things You Need To Know About The Civil War In Central African Republic

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Central African Republic is a landlocked nation that has a population of 4.6 million people. It is rich in gold, oil and uranium but is one of the poorest nations in the world.

Since independence from France in 1960, Central African Republic has experienced political instability and several military coups. In February 2016, Faustin-Archange Touedara was elected president.

Below are some things to know about the civil war that has hit the nation since December 10, 2012.

Sources: BBC, The Guardian, The Washington Post, UNHCR, SECURITY COUNCIL REPORT, Al Jazeera

Michel Djotodia, Former Central African Republic's president (Image: cbc.ca)
Michel Djotodia, Former Central African Republic’s president (Image: cbc.ca)

Democratically elected presidents

Since 1960, Central African Republic has only had three elected presidents. The first one was David Dakho, who became the president when the nation got independence in 1960. In 1993, Ange-Felix Patasse became the second democratically elected president, an ended 12 years of military rule. On February 14, 2016, Faustin-Archange Touedara was elected president in a run-off.

scrapetv.com
scrapetv.com

Coup D’états

Central African Republic has experienced civil conflicts manly due to the violent battles for power. Since 1965, the nation has experienced five coup d’états. The latest one was in 2013, when Seleka rebels, led by Michel Djotodia overthrew President Francois Bozize, a former army commander.

www.aawsat.net
www.aawsat.net

Sectarian conflict

The civil war has pitted anti-Balaka rebels who are Christians and Seleka militia who are Muslims. It started in 2012 after Seleka Rebels, led by Michel Djotodia ousted Francois Bozize. He was later forced to quite by the international community in 2014 after failing to unify the nation.

Central African Republic election
Catherine SambaPanza, interim president and first female leader of Central African Republic, Jan. 20, 2014.

First female president

The escalating violence in 2014 saw the nation get her first ever female president, in an acting capacity. In January 2014, Catherine Samba-Panza, former mayor of Bangui was chosen by Parliament to lead the nation. She was chosen because she had no links to either Anti-Balaka or Seleka rebels and was seen as unifying factor.

Thinkstock
Thinkstock

Displaced people

The civil war has forced at least one million people to flee their homes. In 2014, more than 930, 000 people had been displaced after the violence escalated. Majority of the people were internally displaced while other fled to neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Democratic Republic of Congo. This is nearly a quarter of the nation’s population.

On patrol in Bangui, Central African Republic UN Photo/Catianne Tijerina
On patrol in Bangui, Central African Republic
UN Photo/Catianne Tijerina

Sexual abuses by United Nations peacekeepers

Since their deployment into the nation in 2014, peacekeepers from various African nations were accused of sexually abusing at least 42 locals, most of them underage girls. The children were infamously called ‘Peacekeeper babies’ by United Nations. There were also cases of women and girls who gave sex to the peacekeepers in exchange for food and money, as little as US$4. This is one of the worst scandals to hit United Nations peacekeeping missions across the world.

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Suspension from African Union

On March 25, 2013, African Union suspended Central African Republic. The action was taken after President Francois Bozize was overthrown by the Seleka rebels. The AU also imposed travel restrictions, sanctions and assets freeze on the rebel group’s leaders.

General Babacar Gaye (Image: alchetron.com)
General Babacar Gaye (Image: alchetron.com)

Peacekeeping chief resigns

In August 2015, General Babacar Gaye, the head of United Nations peacekeeping mission in Central African Republic resigned. The Senegalese army general resigned after several soldiers were accused of sexually abusing underage girls and street children in the nation’s capital, Bangui.