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19 November 2013
Yesterday in the House of Lords, Baroness Cox joined a short question put forward by Baroness Berridge. The question asked what assessment the British Government have made of the security and humanitarian situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) and the Great Lakes region of Africa.
Baroness Berridge reported that ‘There is basically no security for the civilian population. The new President Djotodia is a militant Islamist and has no effective control outside of the capital Bangui and not totally within it. He used three groups of rebels, now known as the Seleka coalition, to gain power, and now those rebels are left to control sections of the country… The rule of law has vanished… due to fighting and looting of agricultural equipment and cattle, 1.1 million people face food insecurity, 1.4 million people are without access to clean drinking water and up to half a million people require urgent, immediate food assistance.’
Baroness Cox added that ‘Reports of violence and destitution are heartbreaking. There is an urgent imperative to reverse the country’s slide into chaos and to alleviate suffering. However, the international community can provide only a short-term remedy. The challenge lies in addressing the root causes of the myriad grass-roots conflicts, and in assisting the Government to implement a long-term national recovery programme to put the CAR on the right track to stability and growth.’
To read the full debate click here.
To watch the full debate click here.