Central African Republic: Ceasefire in north-east but LRA threat grows
| Publisher | Norwegian Refugee Council/Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC/IDMC) |
| Publication Date | 16 June 2011 |
| Cite as | Norwegian Refugee Council/Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (NRC/IDMC), Central African Republic: Ceasefire in north-east but LRA threat grows, 16 June 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4dfef3542.html [accessed 24 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The CAR government and the Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace (CPJP), the only rebel group still active in the north-east of the country, signed a ceasefire agreement on 12 June. The CPJP has agreed to confine their soldiers to barracks while talks on a final peace deal take place. However, observers have warned that long-lasting peace is far from won as the army does not control even a third of the country and the presence of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in the south-east continues to threaten security. As of May 2011, the total number of people internally displaced by LRA activity in CAR was estimated at 18,700.
In April, ECHO and OCHA organised a two-day meeting to discuss the humanitarian consequences of LRA attacks and the situation in affected areas. On 13 June, defence ministers of CAR, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Southern Sudan and Uganda agreed to deploy a joint military force to be managed by the African Union (AU) to end the atrocities being committed by the LRA. The four countries will contribute troops.
Continued attacks by LRA in the Central African Republic (CAR) have forced civilians to live in despair, according to the President of CAR's Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace. Among the latest victims were a doctor in charge of health care in the LRA-affected part of the country and his driver, who were killed on 6 June as they distributed polio vaccines. On 10 June, medical workers marched in the capital, Bangui, demanding that the government guarantee the protection of doctors.
