U.S. Committee for Refugees World Refugee Survey 1997 - Central African Republic

Central African Republic hosted more than 36,000 refugees at the end of 1996, including nearly 31,000 from Sudan, more than 5,000 from Chad, and about 400 from various other countries. Large numbers of refugees entered Central African Republic (CAR) from Sudan and Chad during the early 1990s. Sudanese refugees were fleeing full-scale civil war, and Chadians were seeking to escape abuses by government and rebel troops in their country. During 1996, more than 3,500 new refugees arrived in CAR from Sudan, according to UNHCR. Most were young, single males who apparently left Sudan to avoid being conscripted by the various factions fighting there. Nearly all of the 30,616 registered Sudanese refugees lived in a camp at Mboki, in the isolated southeast corner of the country, near the Sudanese and Zairian borders. Most refugees at Mboki were from the Zande ethnic group and shared linguistic ties with many Central African residents of the area. Some 400 Sudanese refugees, primarily ethnic Dinka, lived in a small refugee settlement near Kaga Bandoro, in the north-central portion of the country, far from the Sudanese border. During 1996, 512 Sudanese refugees repatriated from CAR with UNHCR assistance. About 4,800 of the 5,491 registered Chadian refugees in CAR lived at a camp in Boubou, near the northwestern town of Bossangoa. During 1996, 866 Chadian refugees repatriated from CAR with UNHCR assistance. During 1996, two Rwandan refugees in CAR were resettled to a third country. CAR's Nationality Eligibility Commission (CNE) met approximately every three months to consider individual applications for asylum. The CNE's members included representatives from various government ministries, including Interior, Justice, Foreign Affairs, and the Immigration Department. UNHCR had observer status on the CNE. The CNE's decisions were largely based on UNHCR's recommendations. Violence in Bangui A series of mutinies and rebellions by elements of the Central African military in Bangui, the capital, resulted in the deaths of more than 200 people during 1996, according to foreign embassies and press reports. The armed rebellions in April, May, and November were suppressed by French troops, who maintained several military bases in the country. Although the fighting damaged sections of Bangui and led many Europeans to evacuate, the violence did not produce long-term displacement within the country. Refugees living in Bangui were affected by the violence and looting, prompting some urban refugees from Rwanda, Burundi, and Chad to leave CAR. UNHCR received no reports of refugees being killed during the mutinies.