Several Internal Displaced People Abducted and Murdered

A Blue Helmet UN peacekeeper sits atop a UN vehicle patrolling the town of Bria, while civilians walk around.  A Blue Helmet UN peacekeeper sits atop a UN vehicle patrolling the town of Bria, while civilians walk around. Saber Jendoubi/ Foreign Policy

12 September, 2018

UN officials increase patrol efforts after civilians living in the protected PK3 camp were killed.

 On September 6th, nine internally displaced people (IDP), mostly women, from the town of Bria were abducted and murdered. The violent rebel group, ex‑Séléka Front Populaire pour la Renaissance de Centrafrique (FPRC), is believed to be responsible. Amid the tensions, there was a clash between FPRC and anti-Balaka armed groups which may have fueled the retaliation on the people of Bria.

Roughly 100,000 people live in Bria, a city located in the Haute-Kotto Prefecture; 80% of those people are IDP and 48,000 of them live in the largest IDP camp in the country, named KP3. The patrol group, Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), has contributed to the protection of the camp since 2014 in hopes of safeguarding civilians and preventing future violence. The Mission, for short, reported late Thursday night that nine IDPs were kidnapped from the camp and revealed to have been killed. Once notified, the Mission relayed information to its patrol guards of the incident, who immediately worked to recovered the bodies, which were found on the Ippy axis. This town in the Ouaka province located near the capital, Bambari, is infamous for the 100 civilian and one UN peacekeeper’s death back in March and April.

In lieu of transpired atrocities, the Mission has increased the number of guards around the camp and is conducting an active investigation into the ordeal. However, strife among the civilians led to a protest with 400 demonstrators against the MINUSCA once the news emerged of the inquiry. Reports disclosed that two hand grenades were thrown towards the camp; fortunately nobody was injured. The Mission has vocalized several times that those involved in the violence that occurs against civilians in Bria must be prosecuted and brought to justice.

 

To read more, visit:

https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/09/1018721

https://refugeesmigrants.un.org/dramatic-rise-central-african-republic-violence-happening-out-media-eyes-warns-unicef

https://reliefweb.int/report/central-african-republic/attacks-against-civilians-bria

https://minusca.unmissions.org/en/minusca-condemns-killing-civilians-and-reinforce-security-idp-camp-bria

https://www.un.org/press/en/2018/db180907.doc.htm

https://news.google.com/search?for=central%20african%20republic%20news&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen

https://www.unicef.org/appeals/files/UNICEF_Central_African_Republic_Humanitarian_Situation_Report_June_2018.pdf

 

By Amanda McCurtie
Editing by Christina De Paris

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