The Central African Republic is likely to face a higher rate of violent crime as armed groups become more disorganized amid the government regaining more territory, Bruce Biber, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) head of delegation in the country, told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th April, 2021) The Central African Republic is likely to face a higher rate of violent crime as armed groups become more disorganized amid the government regaining more territory, Bruce Biber, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) head of delegation in the country, told Sputnik.
Over the past months, the car government has significantly advanced in regaining territory from armed groups, following the post-election December escalation. Some areas of the Nana-Grebizi prefecture, where the Red Cross supports health services, are still under control of armed groups, according to Biber.
"The armed groups in this part of the country don't have strong control over the territory. The government and its partners are retaking land occupied by the armed groups so the armed groups themselves are becoming more disorganized and more and more of them could resort to crime," Biber said.
The ICRC regional chief expressed hope that the situation would stabilize over time, but warned about a "real risk" of greater insecurity in the coming weeks.
The Red Cross, in turn, maintains dialogue with both armed groups and the government, when it comes to healthcare support for affected areas.
"As long as the fighting continues, of course the first imperative is to be able to access the wounded and to evacuate the wounded to proper health structures. This is something we have been doing a lot. So we will continue to do this as long as the fighting goes on. And this we can only do thanks to the acceptance that we have from the government, from their allies and from the armed groups themselves," Biber explained.
Another priority is support for health facilities, particularly the ones treating those wounded in the conflict. The Red Cross supports a hospital in the town Kaga-Bandoro of the Nana-Grebizi province and has deployed two surgical teams there.
The situation in CAR deteriorated in December after armed rebels attempted to disrupt the general election, threatening the fragile February 2019 peace deal. Mostly allied with ex-CAR President Francois Bozize, who was barred from the vote, they seek to oust the government of incumbent Faustin Archange Touadera.
