Bangui-CAR/Washington, DC, March 22, 2007 - International Medical Corps has warned that the situation in northeastern Central African Republic (CAR) demands an immediate emergency intervention. After fighting escalated in recent weeks tens of thousands of civilians are now caught between several armed factions and have fled their homes. A recent UN-led humanitarian mission to the area confirmed IMC's earlier assessment that armed clashes have caused large-scale displacement and destroyed the remains of an already fragile infrastructure. IMC fully supports the appeal by the UN humanitarian coordinator who was quoted in news reports calling for international donors to come to the aid of the people in CAR.

An IMC team traveling to Birao, the capital of the northeastern Vakaga province, in February found alarming rates of malnutrition and a population in desperate need of assistance in the most remote and violent area of CAR.

"Following the latest round of violence, nearly 90 percent of the population of Birao has fled into the bush, where they now live without access to water, food, and medical assistance," says Ben Hemingway, representing the mission from IMC's offices in Washington, DC. "The situation was desperate when IMC visited last month. The fighting has escalated over the last few weeks and the situation will unravel further if people miss the upcoming planting season."

Populations in Northeast CAR live in chronically challenging conditions which may now have exceeded emergency levels due to the ongoing armed conflict. Ongoing attacks on villages by several armed factions have depopulated areas. IMC is designing a response to the long-term crisis that has reached alarming levels, planning mobile outreach health services to displaced populations, and also emergency care for war-wounded and obstetric assistance for pregnant women.

International Medical Corps is uniquely qualified for work in the CAR. The organization has operated in neighboring Chad and Darfur for many years and is familiar with the logistical challenges, the environment and the parties to the conflict. Several armed factions are involved in the current struggle. Some are based in Chad and Sudan, countries whose conflicts are closely linked to the problems in northern CAR. Violence often targets civilians and unfolds along ethnic lines. While there are no reliable figures on deaths, at least 240,000 people have been forced to leave their homes. ###