CAR violence rises: 'They shot my children and husband'

by Will Baxter
A boy brings his family's cattle in from grazing at the end of day in Paoua town. As CAR's numerous rebel groups continue to splinter and multiply, banditry and extortion have become the norm for civilians in lawless areas. By taking over new areas, armed groups secure the right to local resources and also to 'tax' villagers on anything from their cattle to their market stalls to the use of roads. 'Control of mine access and cattle migration routes are key for the armed groups. If you control these areas, you can sustain a group,' said Lewis Mudge, senior researcher in the Africa Division of HRW [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
A boy brings his family's cattle in from grazing at the end of day in Paoua town. As CAR's numerous rebel groups continue to splinter and multiply, banditry and extortion have become the norm for civilians in lawless areas. By taking over new areas, armed groups secure the right to local resources and also to 'tax' villagers on anything from their cattle to their market stalls to the use of roads. 'Control of mine access and cattle migration routes are key for the armed groups. If you control these areas, you can sustain a group,' said Lewis Mudge, senior researcher in the Africa Division of HRW [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]

Paoua, Central African Republic - When rebels attacked her village, Delphine Lokaingoto was still too weak from childbirth to lift more than one of her children at a time.

As she snatched up her four-day-old baby, she told the others - aged three, four and six - to run to the fields.

"Some of the Seleka were on horses," she said. "We started to run away, and that's when they shot my children and my husband."

Lokaingoto then watched from the bush as the rebels, from the ex-Seleka led National Movement for the Liberation of the Central African Republic (MNLC), began burning the bodies and houses in her village, Beogombo IV.

Carrying nothing but her one remaining child, she walked for three days to reach Paoua town.

Forced displacement in the Central African Republic (CAR) has reached record levels as the country's ever-expanding number of armed groups aggressively seek control of territory ahead of the April onset of the rainy season.

Paoua town is now hosting more than 65,000 displaced people since late December in rural Ouham-Pende prefecture near the Chad border, where the latest chapter in CAR's five-year conflict is unfolding. The upsurge of violence in 2017-2018 has driven the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) up to 688,700, the highest figure since the crisis began in 2013, with another 542,380 refugees hosted in neighbouring countries, according to figures from the UN.

Analysts see the increasing frequency of attacks on civilians and clashes between armed groups as a bellwether that could signal an expanding conflict across the country and a much larger humanitarian crisis on the horizon.

"In 2015 and 2016 there was real space for optimism, there was a new government, and armed groups were decreasing their attacks on civilians," said Lewis Mudge, a senior researcher in the Africa Division of Human Rights Watch (HRW). "This changed in 2017, and we are now seeing levels of violence tied to the crisis of 2013. Groups are more emboldened than ever to commit war crimes."

"Things are moving very fast. The more area armed groups want to control, the more people are going to be displaced," said Joseph Inganji, the head of office for UNOCHA in CAR. "And all of this is coming at a time when the government is still lacking the capacity to cater for the basic social services of its citizens."

Yale University professor Louisa Lombard, whose research focuses on CAR, said that "the presence of a large UN peacekeeping mission will probably prevent a return to a full civil war" but that "attacks that can be quite devastating for people and that shift in terms of geography depending on which areas are not protected and/or provide other resources" are likely to continue.

Delphine Lokaingoto, 30, poses for a portrait at the home of relatives where she is staying in Paoua. Delphine says that three of her four children, ages three, four and six - as well as her 28-year-old husband - were shot dead when rebels from the National Movement for the Liberation of the Central African Republic (MNLC) attacked their village, Beogombo IV. 'For my future, I just want God to help me to have a good life so I can live in peace,' said Lokaingoto. 'If there is peace, I will go back to the village. But it's still not safe there.' Many who fled the recent violence in the northwest claim that the MNLC has carried out operations directly targeting civilians. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
Delphine Lokaingoto, 30, poses for a portrait at the home of relatives where she is staying in Paoua. Delphine says that three of her four children, ages three, four and six - as well as her 28-year-old husband - were shot dead when rebels from the National Movement for the Liberation of the Central African Republic (MNLC) attacked their village, Beogombo IV. 'For my future, I just want God to help me to have a good life so I can live in peace,' said Lokaingoto. 'If there is peace, I will go back to the village. But it's still not safe there.' Many who fled the recent violence in the northwest claim that the MNLC has carried out operations directly targeting civilians. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
Many of the IDPs in Paoua town have taken shelter near Avenue Church. 'One of the current risks is that the displaced population is not going to return. It is important to note that the crops are being destroyed in their farms and this means that the population will not have food. When they don’t have food, they are likely to have increased malnutrition and depend on humanitarians,' said Joseph Inganji, head of office for UNOCHA in Central African Republic. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
Many of the IDPs in Paoua town have taken shelter near Avenue Church. 'One of the current risks is that the displaced population is not going to return. It is important to note that the crops are being destroyed in their farms and this means that the population will not have food. When they don’t have food, they are likely to have increased malnutrition and depend on humanitarians,' said Joseph Inganji, head of office for UNOCHA in Central African Republic. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
After fleeing violence in Ouham-Pende prefecture, many displaced people have taken shelter with relatives in Paoua town. The government made it clear that it does not want to establish an IDP camp in Paoua. But the fact that many IDPs have moved in with extended family or members of the same ethnic group has placed great strain on these hosts, who are often living on meagre incomes themselves. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
After fleeing violence in Ouham-Pende prefecture, many displaced people have taken shelter with relatives in Paoua town. The government made it clear that it does not want to establish an IDP camp in Paoua. But the fact that many IDPs have moved in with extended family or members of the same ethnic group has placed great strain on these hosts, who are often living on meagre incomes themselves. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
A displaced woman tends to a fire near a host family’s cattle in Paoua. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
A displaced woman tends to a fire near a host family’s cattle in Paoua. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
Containers for water are lined up outside a well near the Avenue Church in Paoua. With the influx of some 65,000 IDPs, the population of Paoua has more than doubled making access to clean water a pressing issue. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
Containers for water are lined up outside a well near the Avenue Church in Paoua. With the influx of some 65,000 IDPs, the population of Paoua has more than doubled making access to clean water a pressing issue. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
Displaced girls staying with a host family draw water from a well in Paoua. 'The wells were only meant for 40,000 people, the population of Paoua town. But, with 65,000 more people arriving, the resources that were meant for 40,000 will now have to serve a group of about 100,000 people. With this kind of pressure, you’re likely to see tensions between the IDPs and the host community,' said Inganji. [Will Baxter/Al Jazeera]
Displaced girls staying with a host family draw water from a well in Paoua. 'The wells were only meant for 40,000 people, the population of Paoua town. But, with 65,000 more people arriving, the resources that were meant for 40,000 will now have to serve a group of about 100,000 people. With this kind of pressure, you’re likely to see tensions between the IDPs and the host community,' said Inganji. [Will Baxter/Al Jazeera]
A displaced woman sits with her belongings inside the Saramandja Church, which is hosting IDPs in Paoua. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
A displaced woman sits with her belongings inside the Saramandja Church, which is hosting IDPs in Paoua. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
IDPs sleeping on the floor of Saramandja Church try to stay warm with blankets. The majority of those displaced recently in Ouham-Pende prefecture are women and children; the latter are said to make up 60 percent of IDPs in Paoua. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
IDPs sleeping on the floor of Saramandja Church try to stay warm with blankets. The majority of those displaced recently in Ouham-Pende prefecture are women and children; the latter are said to make up 60 percent of IDPs in Paoua. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
A displaced woman who has moved in with family members crushes cassava in Paoua town. Cassava is a staple of the diet in rural CAR. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
A displaced woman who has moved in with family members crushes cassava in Paoua town. Cassava is a staple of the diet in rural CAR. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
Abigaelle Benonkoumte, 13, stands in the doorway of a previously abandoned house that she and her extended family have taken shelter in in Paoua town after fleeing violence in late December when the MNLC attacked Beboy Label village. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
Abigaelle Benonkoumte, 13, stands in the doorway of a previously abandoned house that she and her extended family have taken shelter in in Paoua town after fleeing violence in late December when the MNLC attacked Beboy Label village. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
A young man ties up his cattle for the night in Paoua. 'The Seleka put up a checkpoint in our village and were stopping everybody who passed by and demanding a tax,' said 56-year-old Luc Nanguemadji from Beboy III village, referring to the MNLC by the name of the now-disbanded alliance of primarily Muslim rebel factions that was dissolved in 2013. 'If you had no money, they would take your cattle,' he said, adding that the MNLC had confiscated his entire herd of 25 head. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
A young man ties up his cattle for the night in Paoua. 'The Seleka put up a checkpoint in our village and were stopping everybody who passed by and demanding a tax,' said 56-year-old Luc Nanguemadji from Beboy III village, referring to the MNLC by the name of the now-disbanded alliance of primarily Muslim rebel factions that was dissolved in 2013. 'If you had no money, they would take your cattle,' he said, adding that the MNLC had confiscated his entire herd of 25 head. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
Mepala Bakary (center) sits with several of his family members at the abandoned house where they have taken shelter outside the MINUSCA base in Paoua town. On 24 January, Bakary's 60-year-old father Moderi Machido was pulled from the back of a motorbike, and stoned and beaten to death by a Christian mob. The lynching took place just footsteps away from the local gendarmerie post, and only 100 metres from the Paoua base of MINUSCA. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
Mepala Bakary (center) sits with several of his family members at the abandoned house where they have taken shelter outside the MINUSCA base in Paoua town. On 24 January, Bakary's 60-year-old father Moderi Machido was pulled from the back of a motorbike, and stoned and beaten to death by a Christian mob. The lynching took place just footsteps away from the local gendarmerie post, and only 100 metres from the Paoua base of MINUSCA. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
Men gather around the bodies of three young Muslim men who were kidnapped, held for ransom and then murdered when their families could not pay the amount demanded by kidnappers in Paoua. A fourth Muslim man was released after his family paid 2.5 million Central African francs (about $4,760). Two other men, said to be Christians, were also allegedly kidnapped and later released by the same group. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
Men gather around the bodies of three young Muslim men who were kidnapped, held for ransom and then murdered when their families could not pay the amount demanded by kidnappers in Paoua. A fourth Muslim man was released after his family paid 2.5 million Central African francs (about $4,760). Two other men, said to be Christians, were also allegedly kidnapped and later released by the same group. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
People comfort the sister of a Muslim man who was kidnapped, held for ransom and then murdered when his family could not pay the amount demanded by kidnappers. 'One area that has been woefully neglected and is a grievance underlying much of the perpetuation of violence is citizenship: who is a legitimate Central African, and who a ravaging foreigner? This is a political question that will have to be settled by Central Africans, and the government could do more to credibly begin to address it,' said Yale University professor Louisa Lombard. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]
People comfort the sister of a Muslim man who was kidnapped, held for ransom and then murdered when his family could not pay the amount demanded by kidnappers. 'One area that has been woefully neglected and is a grievance underlying much of the perpetuation of violence is citizenship: who is a legitimate Central African, and who a ravaging foreigner? This is a political question that will have to be settled by Central Africans, and the government could do more to credibly begin to address it,' said Yale University professor Louisa Lombard. [Will Baxter/ Al Jazeera]