Country Information

The Central African Republic (CAR), located at the heart of Africa, has a population of approximately four million. The landlocked country is bordered by the Democratic Republic of Congo in the south, Sudan in the east, Chad in the north and Cameroon in the west. The major ethnic groups are the Baya (33%), Banda (27%), Mandjia (13%), Sara (10%), Mboum (7%), M’Baka (4%), Yakoma (4%) and others (2%). Indigenous beliefs constitute 35% of the country’s religions. Protestants and Roman Catholics make up 25% each, and Muslims 15%. French is the official language of CAR, followed by Sangho, the national language, and other local ethnic languages. The government of CAR is a republic based on a unicameral National Assembly. Refugees International conducted a mission to CAR in November 2006 to assess the humanitarian situation.

Political and Economic Environment

CAR gained independence from France in 1960. During the first few decades of its independence, CAR went through a series of leaders that came to power through military coups, the most notorious being army commander Jean-Bedel Bokassa, who ruled from 1966 until being deposed by the French in 1979 after crowning himself emperor two years earlier in a ceremony that cost millions of dollars. In 1993, CAR held its first democratic elections, but political instability and economic decline continued throughout the1990s.

In 1997, the United Nations deployed a peacekeeping Mission to Central African Republic (MINURCA), with the support of France. Popular discontent with the government and widespread strikes and demonstrations continued over the next few years. Tensions between the army and the presidential guard threatened widespread conflict and displacement.

In 2000, MINURCA withdrew and the UN Secretary General established a peace-building support office in CAR to consolidate progress towards peace and reconciliation. Despite the international community’s effort to restore peace, a 2001 coup attempt by soldiers of a former general resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people.

In March 2003, the democratically elected government was ousted in a coup by the rebel leader General François Bozizé. The intensive fighting that preceded the coup displaced thousands of people. Both groups engaged in human rights violations including rape, harassment, and looting, mainly in the northwest and central parts of the country.

After subsequent years of violence and political turmoil, CAR held presidential and legislative elections in May 2005. The current president, General Bozizé, was officially declared head of the state by an independent electoral commission.

The situation in CAR remains very fragile. The repeated mutinies and attempted coups have seriously affected the country’s socio-economic development. The CAR is unable to exercise full control over its territory, a weakness exploited by various foreign rebel groups seeking to destabilize Chad and Sudan.

Humanitarian Situation

In the northern provinces of CAR, former Chadian troops, CAR rebels, bandits, and most recently Sudanese rebels, are engaged in the killing, looting and kidnapping of civilians and the destruction of homes. Dozens of civilians have been killed and thousands have fled to the bush or to neighboring countries, particularly Chad and Cameroon. Since 2002, an estimated 200,000 people have been internally displaced in CAR. About 48,000 CAR refugees have fled to southern Chad, of which 30,000 are in camps supported by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Conditions in northwestern CAR remain insecure. Armed groups engage in banditry and attack rural communities. Many villages have been burned to the ground or are abandoned as a result of the violence. The World Food Program (WFP) reports that an estimated 150,000 displaced people are believed to be living in the bush in makeshift shelters. They survive on little more than the food that they can gather in the wild.

Life in the bush is particularly difficult for women and children. Sanitation and access to clean water are serious issues. Children suffer from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and other related diseases. There is a lack of international agencies and NGOs working in northern CAR, which seriously hampers the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the displaced.

CAR is one of the least developed countries in the world. Despite its potential for natural resource development, including diamonds and uranium, 84 percent of the population lives on less than US$2 per day, according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Continued violence and instability have hampered the provision of foreign aid. Unless peace and stability are restored to CAR, it will be impossible to assist the most vulnerable in the short-term and bring viable economic development to the country.

Updated December 2006