Chased "like animals", CAR villagers live on roots
Source: Reuters
BOWARA, Central African Republic, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Driven from their homes by armed raiders, terrified villagers in northwest Central African Republic say they are surviving in the bush eating roots, fruit and leaves. Bands of unidentified gunmen began operating in this area nearly two years ago, sending thousands fleeing north over the border into Chad. Aid workers say attacks by both gunmen and government troops have got worse in the past fortnight. "We are being chased into the bush like animals by the government troops," said Martin Deou, from Bowara village. "Our life on Earth has no sense any more," he said. Deou was one of a few young people who emerged from the bush near Bowara to meet a passing United Nations convoy on Tuesday. Normally the rumble of a motor vehicle sends them fleeing further into the bush, fearing another attack. But, emboldened by the sight of U.N. insignia, the group said they were surviving by foraging for whatever edible roots and fruits they could find, as well as manioc leaves. "Particularly in the last two weeks there has been a substantial increase in armed attacks," Marcus Prior, regional spokesman for the U.N. World Food Programme, told Reuters in the nearby administrative centre of Paoua. The raiders had particularly targeted food stores following the recent harvest, Prior said, leaving villagers "surviving off manioc leaves and whatever they can find in the bush". WFP launched a humanitarian air service this month to assist up to 1 million people who may have been affected by violence in northern Central African Republic, near the border with Chad. "BEYOND GOVERNMENT CONTROL" Residents say government troops have raided villages, accusing local people of helping the armed groups, thought to include disaffected Chadian mercenaries and local insurgents, who have demonstrated little obvious aim beyond banditry. A former senior municipal official in Paoua told reporters late on Tuesday he had just been held captive for several hours by troops who accused him of collaborating with the armed bands. Many nearby villages are deserted, their mud and straw huts looted or burnt, and thousands of displaced have converged on Paoua. Aid workers estimate around 150,000 need assistance. The government in the capital Bangui plays down the numbers of displaced, and blames the attacks firmly on the armed groups. "There are security problems, there are bandits," said Cyriaque Gonda, spokesman for President Francois Bozize. Chad has sent troops over the border to operate joint patrols with Bangui's forces, strengthening their military cooperation since violence spreading from Sudan's western Darfur province engulfed parts of both countries in recent weeks. France has offered Central African Republic and Chad logistical help and regional bloc CEMAC has pledged to increase the 380-strong force it already has in Central African Republic. But military analysts say Bangui has long lacked control over much of the hinterland, especially in the north, and the mandate of the CEMAC force is weak. "A lot of the land is beyond government control. You have so many groups out there, all operating with their own self interests," a military official serving with the U.S. European Command (EUCOM), which covers the region, told Reuters recently.
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