The UN mission in the country says hundreds of villagers on the border have fled their homes.

The conflict in the Central African Republic, CAR, continues to have its spillover effects in neighbouring countries. The United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC yesterday, March 6, 2014 warned of the havoc being created in the northern part of the country by fleeing former CAR soldiers and defunct Séléka militia men.

MONUSCO said harassment by the CAR armed men had created an atmosphere of insecurity along the DRC-CAR border, causing hundreds of villagers to flee their homes, Radio France Internationale, RFI, said. MONUSCO therefore called for stepped-up measures to restore security to assure frightened villagers return home.

Last January, the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General to the DRC, Abdallah Wafy, warned that armed former Séléka and FACA fighters had crossed into Orientale Province, causing local inhabitants to flee. He said urgent measures needed to be taken to ensure that what is happening in eastern part of the country is not repeated in Equateur and Orientale Provinces. Wafy expressed concern at the deteriorating security in Katanga Province, a region which he noted, had hitherto been calm.    

In a related development, Moslems in the Central African Republic have formed a militia to protect themselves against recurrent attacks by anti-Balaka militia men. Known as the Organisation for Islamic Resistance, ORMC, the group is said to be made up of 5,000 well-armed fighters. According to former Tourism Minister, Abakar Sabone, who announced the militia’s creation, ORMC is meant to replace the defunct Séléka coalition of rebel groups that overthrew the government of President François Bozizé on March 24, 2013.

According to Sabone, ORMC is a coalition of three movements – the Union of Democratic Forces for Unity of former Transitional President, Michel Djotodia, the Movement of Freedom Fighters of Central Africa for Justice and the Islamic Youth Organisation. CAR has witnessed increased levels of sectarian violence since defunct Séléka leader and Transitional President, Michel Djotodia, was forced by sub-regional leaders to resign last January over alleged lack of progress in the transition process. While Séléka was blamed for most of the earlier violence, the anti-Balaka Christian militia has been responsible for massacres of Moslems and their eviction from the southern part of the country.