Une ONG suspend son programme de secours en Centrafrique à cause de l’insécurité
L’ONG humanitaire italienne Cooperazione
Internazionale (Coopi) a temporairement suspendu son programme de secours
médicaux d’urgence au nord de la République centrafricaine (RCA) à cause de
l’insécurité prévalant dans cette
région, a confirmé à IRIN un responsable de l’organisme. "La situation demeure
trop instable pour que nous risquions les vies de nos employés et notre
équipement", a expliqué Massimiliano Pedretti, représentant de Coopi en RCA.
La décision de suspendre la distribution de médicaments (financée par la
Commission européenne) dans les provinces de Ouham et Ouham Pende, a été prise
le 30 mai, après que des inconnus armés aient volé un véhicule de Coopi près de
Bossangoa, à 305 km au nord-ouest de Bangui, capitale de la RCA, selon M.
Pedretti. L’équipe de Coopi à Bossangoa est donc retournée à Bangui, jusqu’au
rétablissement de conditions acceptables de sécurité au nord du pays.
Cette décision de l’ONG est intervenue quelques jours seulement après que la
Commission européenne ait annoncé un programme d’urgence de 1,79 million
d’euros pour réorganiser et ré-équiper les installations sanitaires des neuf
provinces centrafricaines touchées par la guerre. Depuis qu’il a pris le
pouvoir par un coup d’État, le 15 mars, le dirigeant de la RCA, François
Bozizé, n’a pas pu ramener la sécurité au nord du pays, décourageant ainsi des
milliers de déplacés de revenir dans leurs foyers.
Nations Unies, IRIN
(diffusion VF: 10 juin 2003 )
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BANGUI, 3 Jun 2003 (IRIN) - Italian humanitarian NGO Cooperazione Internazionale (COOPI) has temporarily
suspended its medical emergency programme in northern Central African Republic
(CAR) due to insecurity, an official told IRIN on Monday.
"The situation is still unstable for us to expose the lives of our workers and
our equipment," Massimiliano Pedretti, COOPI representative in the CAR, said.
He said that the programme, entailing the distribution of drugs to vulnerable
populations, might begin in 10 to 15 days.
The decision to suspend the EC-supported drug distribution in Ouham and Ouham
Pende provinces was made on Friday after unidentified armed men stole a COOPI
vehicle near Bossangoa, 305 km northwest of Bangui, the CAR capital, Pedretti
said.
He said he had contacted the EC, the UN and the CAR government regarding the
growing insecurity in the region.
The NGO has set up base at Bossangoa in Ouham province, and was due to establish
the Ouham Pende base in Bozoum, 384 km northwest of Bangui.
The COOPI team in Bossangoa had returned to Bangui, pending the restoration of
security in the area.
>> The move by the NGO comes just days after the EC announced its €1.79 million
emergency programme to revamp and re-equip health facilities in nine
war-affected provinces in the CAR.
Six months of war from October 2002 to March 2003 between government and rebel
troops adversely affected health facilities in the north. While those in the
north were looted and damaged, those in the east ran out of drugs, as the area
was cut off from its supply routes.
Since taking power in a coup on 15 March, CAR leader Francois Bozize has failed
to restore security in the north, discouraging thousands of displaced people
from returning home.
However, Pedretti said 70 percent of Bossangoa residents had returned to their
homes after some soldiers were deployed in the area recently. No administrative
authority is present yet in Bossangoa.