U.S. Committee for Refugees World Refugee Survey 2001 - Central African Republic

The Central African Republic hosted nearly 55,000 refugees at the end of 2000, including about 35,000 from Sudan, an estimated 15,000 from Congo-Kinshasa, about 3,000 from Chad, and nearly 1,000 from various other African countries.

Refugees from Sudan

Large numbers of Sudanese refugees fled to Central African Republic in the early 1990s because of civil war in their own country. Few have repatriated. About 700 new refugees arrived during 2000. Nearly 2,000 new Sudanese refugees have sought refuge in Central African Republic during the past two years.

Nearly all 35,000 Sudanese refugees lived in a camp at Mboki, more than 700 miles (about 1,200 km) from the capital in the isolated southeast corner of the country, near the borders with Sudan and Congo-Kinshasa. About 400 others lived in the capital, Bangui. Some 300 lived in Kaga-Bandoro camp about 200 miles (340 km) north of Bangui.

Most Sudanese refugees no longer received food aid during 2000 because the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) considered them to be self-sufficient after living so many years in Central African Republic. UNHCR provided agricultural tools, seeds, and a hectare of land to refugee families wanting to farm near their camp. UNHCR offered food assistance only to the neediest households, such as elderly refugees and female-headed families.

Mboki camp had primary and secondary schools for 4,000 refugee children. A health clinic provided medical care for refugees and the local population.

Although Sudanese refugees have experienced security problems at Mboki camp in recent years because of its proximity to the Sudanese border, UNHCR reported no serious protection incidents during 2000.

Refugees from Congo-Kinshasa

Nearly 10,000 new refugees from Congo-Kinshasa fled to Central African Republic during mid-2000 because of intensified civil war in northern areas of their own country.

The new refugees joined thousands of Congolese who had fled to Central African Republic in earlier years. Some 20,000 to 30,000 Congolese have sought at least temporary refuge in Central African Republic during the past two years, but many of them quickly repatriated when conditions permitted. Some 2,000 refugees returned to Congo-Kinshasa with UNHCR assistance during 2000. Thousands of others might have repatriated spontaneously, without UNHCR assistance.

The rapid influx of refugees in mid-2000 placed a strain on local border communities. The town of Mongoumba, located 125 miles (200 km) southeast of Bangui, tripled in size as refugees sought shelter with local families, in local school buildings, or in tents provided by humanitarian aid workers.

A fuel shortage in the country, as well as the remote location of the refugee influx, hampered international assistance and exacerbated UNHCR's funding shortfall. Italian aid workers established five health clinics to care for new arrivals, but 36 refugees reportedly died of malaria and meningitis soon after arrival.

By year's end, Congolese refugees primarily lived in three locations: 7,000 resided at Mongoumba camp; 7,000 lived in Bangui; and about 1,000 lived in Boubou camp near the northwestern town of Bossangoa, about 170 miles (about 270 km) from the capital. UNHCR provided health care, schools, and farming opportunities for camp occupants. The World Food Program provided food to Mongoumba camp residents.

The large refugee influx heightened tensions in border communities, where local residents feared the large population movement would bring guns and combatants from the war in Congo-Kinshasa. Such incidents occurred in 1999 when rampaging Congolese soldiers raped citizens of Central African Republic and looted their property.

During 2000, former Congolese government soldiers who fled to Central African Republic expressed fears that agents of the Congolese government might cross the border and pursue them. UNHCR considered the former soldiers to be candidates for international resettlement as a durable solution to their protection concerns.

Refugees from Chad

Large numbers of Chadian refugees fled to Central African Republic in the early 1990s to escape abuses by government and rebel troops in their country.

The refugee population peaked at 18,000 in 1994. Some 10,000 Chadians repatriated from Central African Republic in 1995, followed by smaller numbers in succeeding years. Some 3,000 new Chadian refugees fled to Central African Republic in 1998.

Improved stability in Chad provided an opportunity for renewed repatriation of Chadian refugees in 2000. UNHCR initially estimated that 1,300 refugees would return home from Central African Republic during the year, but only about 300 chose to repatriate. Returnees received food packages of rice, oil, salt, and sugar.

Some 3,000 Chadians remained in Central African Republic as the year ended, despite reports of occasional tensions between the refugees and local residents. Most of the refugees lived in Boubou camp. Assistance to the refugees ended in 1998. Most supported themselves as cotton farmers.

Asylum Seekers from Rwanda

About 400 Rwandans who arrived in Central African Republic in 1997 continued to seek asylum there. UNHCR speculated that unknown numbers of other Rwandans probably live in Central African Republic without registering with authorities.

The Rwandan asylum seekers originally fled Rwanda in 1994 and arrived in Central African Republic in 1997 when war drove them out of their first asylum in Congo-Kinshasa. The asylum seekers have attracted controversy because some of them were allegedly linked to the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

UNHCR reported that government officials in Central Africa Republic considered the Rwandans to be "refugees in transit" who will eventually resettle in a different country. However, government officials did not insist on resettlement of the Rwandans in 2000. They remained in Central African Republic and received at least limited assistance from UNHCR.