935,000 displaced in Central African Republic amid ‘unprecedented’ violence — RT News

935,000 displaced in Central African Republic amid ‘unprecedented’ violence — RT News:

Targeted attacks against children, looting and burning of houses have been reported in the ongoing sectarian violence in Central African Republic by the UN’s refugee agency UNHCR. Hundreds of thousands have fled to refugee camps or hidden in the bush.

Violence between mostly Muslim ex-rebel Seleka members, whose leader seized power last March, and Christian vigilante groups “has pushed the number of internally displaced people (IDP) past 935,000 and is hampering humanitarian aid efforts” in Central African Republic (CAR), UNHCR reported on Friday.

The international agency is struggling to gain access to some 45,000 of the displaced in the capital Bangui alone. According to UNHCR, a total of 510,000 people – more half of the city’s population – are sheltering in 67 sites in Bangui, or have moved to live with host families.

“Targeted attacks against civilians, looting and the presence of armed elements at some displacement sites have severely limited humanitarian agencies’ access to those in need of urgent assistance,” a UNHCR spokesman said.

Some 60 per cent of those displaced are children, the refugee agency has estimated.

Displaced refugees are seen in a camp in an airport in Bangui December 15, 2013. (Reuters/Emmanuel Braun)