On November 19, the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Human Rights, and International Organizations held a hearing, “Crisis in the Central African Republic.” Chair Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Ranking Member Karen Bass (D-CA) heard testimony from several witnesses who described human rights atrocities taking place amid the conflict in the Central African Republic (CAR).
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Robert Jackson, Bureau of African Affairs, Department of State, informed the committee that Seleka rebel forces have committed “targeted violence – including murders, rapes, robberies, and looting and burning of villages” that “has created inter-religious tensions in a country that had previously enjoyed excellent Christian-Muslim relations.” Mr. Jackson noted that “So far, the conflict in the CAR has internally displaced nearly 400,000 people and forced approximately 68,000 new refugees into the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, and Chad. This has brought the total number of CAR refugees in neighboring countries to over 220,000.”
In detailing the human rights abuses against women in the CAR, Mr. Jackson said, “One local NGO [nongovernmental organization], for example, reported that ten women per day came to their Bangui offices from April to August to report being raped; since September, five women per day report being raped. Undoubtedly, the number of rapes since Seleka started its advance is much higher, as stigmatization causes the majority of rapes to go unreported. This violence also continues with total impunity since not one accused rapist has yet to be brought to trial.”
The following witnesses also testified:
