Today, the Central African Republic is a divided, bleeding country. The rebellion of various politico-military groups has been fostered by successive contests for power since the CAR’s independence together with the impact of crises in neighboring Chad and Sudan. However heterogeneous they may be, the operations of such groups converge in maintaining the CAR in a permanent state of instability.
Particularly active in the northern prefectures of the country, these groups demand a better allocation of riches by the central authorities and use volatile political strategies to gain recognition at national level according to whimsical electoral agendas. The largest groups are:
As well as rebellions in the north, there is widespread banditry (particularly in the North-East area of Vakaga) and incursions linked to the Chad rebellion and their alleged Arab allies from Sudan. In addition, exactions are committed by elements from the Central African Armed Forces for whom any man of an age to fight is frequently considered a rebel.
This insecurity causes a severe humanitarian situation and contributes to keeping the Central African Republic among the poorest countries in the world despite the known presence of natural resources with high added value.
Already crippled by its “established” poverty and lack of development (that in turn creates a favorable environment for rebellion), there is now the additional issue of displacement owing to endemic insecurity. Together with refugees from Cameroon, Chad and Sudan, there’s an estimated 100,000 internally displaced people in the country.
