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The United Nations human rights office warns that increased violence ahead of Sunday’s elections in the Central African Republic poses serious risks to the civilian population and threatens to disrupt the electoral process.
UN officials say the escalation of violence is creating chaos in the Central African Republic and could drive people away from the polls. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that at least 55,000 people have been forcibly displaced within the Central African Republic and an unknown number of others have reportedly sought safety in neighboring countries.
UN human rights spokesperson Liz Throssell told VOA that her office is deeply alarmed by reports of gun violence, which is being fueled by political grievances and hate speech.
“The violence occurs in the midst of an extremely tense political situation in the run-up to the elections as you can imagine … In recent days there have been numerous reports of attacks against the security forces, against political candidates who are They present to the elections and against the officials who are responsible for conducting Sunday’s elections, which will be held on Sunday, ”Throssell said.
Clashes between armed groups and security forces are taking place in a wide area, including neighborhoods near the capital, Bangui. Six civilians have reportedly been killed. Not all deaths have been verified. The United Nations, so far, has confirmed the death of a civilian and another 12 injured.
Throssell blames much of this current crisis on the proliferation of hate speech, which is spreading widely on social media. He points out that this extremely worrying and dangerous problem is not new.
“It’s something that goes back several years with particular groups being targeted, with people stirring up feelings against different groups, different ethnicities, different factions … Hate speech is really, in a way, a catalyst for more violence in which is already a very fragile and very tense situation in the Central African Republic ”, said Throssell.
The UN Human Rights Office calls on neighboring countries, the African Union and the Economic Community for Central African States to use their influence to ensure a peaceful resolution of this crisis.
Credit: Voice of America (VOA)
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