A priest in the Central African Republic said Church leaders are
hoping to see concrete results from an archbishop’s appeal for an
international humanitarian mission and expansion of African Union
peacekeeping forces.
“The Church is acting as (the) voice of the voiceless in urging
international intervention as soon as possible, said Msgr Cyriaque Gbate
Doumalo, secretary-general of the Catholic bishops’ conference.
“Even
in the capital, many have no shelter and nothing to eat, while children
are sick and exposed.”
Archbishop Dieudonne Nzapalainga of Bangui, Central African Republic,
spoke to the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review
Working Group earlier this month.
The archbishop said his nation was a
powder keg, adding that, since March, the rebel coalition Seleka had
expanded from 3,500 to 25,000 members, aided by child soldiers and a
“constant supply of weapons”.
He urged the UN to help establish an independent commission for
“credible elections” and an investigation by the International Criminal
Court into alleged crimes against humanity.
Last December, Seleka, which includes some Arab-speaking Islamists,
launched an offensive against President Francois Bozize and suspended
the constitution after seizing Bangui and then ousting the president in
March.
In a June statement, the bishops’ conference said Seleka’s occupation
had left the country “looted and destroyed” and its “social fabric
completely torn up.”
Msgr Doumalo said thousands of residents of Central African Republic
faced hunger and disease. He said 37,000 people had sought refuge at a
Catholic mission in the eastern town of Bossangoa after fighting between
Seleka forces and groups loyal to Bozize.
In September, the United Nations said that of the country’s 4.6
million people, 1.6 million were in dire need of assistance, including
food, protection, health care, water, sanitation and shelter.