Escalating violence in the Central African Republic is posing a threat to children, with at least two beheaded and thousands recruited as soldiers, the United Nations said.
The United Nations says it verified the deaths of 16 children since violence broke out in the capital of Bangui on December 5. Dozens of others have been injured.
"We are witnessing
unprecedented levels of violence against children. More and more
children are being recruited into armed groups, and they are also being
directly targeted in atrocious revenge attacks," said Souleymane
Diabate, UNICEF representative in the nation.
Number of child soldiers doubles
Late last year, the U.N. said the number of child soldiers in the nation had doubled to 6,000 as violence escalated.
"Targeted attacks against
children are a violation of international humanitarian and human rights
law and must stop immediately. Concrete action is needed now to prevent
violence against children," Diabate said.
In the capital, 370,000 people -- about half the population -- have been displaced, the United Nations said.
More than 935,000 people have been internally displaced nationwide, the U.N. refugee agency said on Friday.
Chaos, violence
The nation plunged into
chaos after a coalition of rebels named Seleka ousted President Francois
Bozize in March, the latest in a series of coups since the nation
gained independence.
They accused him of
reneging on a peace deal and demanded that he step down. Months before
his ouster, both sides had brokered a deal to form a unity government
led by the President.
But that deal fell apart
as the rebel coalition pushed its way from the north toward the capital
of Bangui, seizing towns along the way.
Rebels infiltrated the capital in March, sending Bozize fleeing to Cameroon.
Fears of genocide
Since then, political
turmoil raged and violence became the order of the day. Seleka is a
predominantly Muslim coalition, and to counter the attacks, vigilante
Christian groups fought back. The country descended into anarchy, and
the United Nations has warned that a genocide is brewing.
Aid agencies have warned
of a humanitarian crisis as rapes, killings and other horrors grow in
the nation. An unknown number of people have been killed in remote rural
areas that are too risky to access. Others have fled into forests.
Aid agency Doctors Without Borders said Thursday it will reduce medical activities at the airport in the capital because of insecurity.
