Snapshot 21 – 28 January
Central African Republic: The situation remains highly volatile in large swathes of the country outside the capital. In Bangui, sporadic shooting, looting and violence continued, mainly in mixed or Muslim-dominated areas of the city. To date, an estimated 922,000 people have been internally displaced as a result of the ongoing violence – half of them in Bangui alone. In a further political development, a new government was appointed, reportedly including both supporters of Christian militias and supporters of the mainly Muslim Seleka rebellion. Meanwhile Navi Pillay, the UN human rights chief, said on 27 January, that the security situation in the Central African Republic is getting even worse despite the inauguration of a new leader.
Syria: The Geneva II peace talks are ongoing, bringing Government and opposition representatives together for the first time, while fighting within Syria continues. All parties are discussing options to allow humanitarian aid to reach besieged opposition-held areas, especially in the city of Homs. As of 28 January, over 2.43 million people have fled the conflict in Syria. An estimated 6.5 million are displaced within Syria.
South Sudan: Despite the signing of ceasefire between Juba’s government and insurgent representatives on 23 January, sporadic fighting continued to be reported in the east of the country. The deal is expected to allow the implementation of a verification and monitoring mechanism for the truce, and should enable unrestricted access to aid workers. Since the violence erupted in mid-December, an estimated 687,000 people have been displaced by the crisis, 112,000 of whom have crossed into neighboring countries such as Uganda and Ethiopia.
Iraq: In largely Sunni Anbar province, Government forces intensified air strikes and artillery fire on the insurgent-held city of Fallujah, although no decisive assault has yet been undertaken. In Ramadi, al-Qaeda affiliated insurgents have reportedly managed to retake control of several eastern urban areas. As of 24 January, an estimated 140,000 people had been displaced by the fighting in Anbar province with some over 65,000 fleeing Fallujah and Ramadi areas over the previous week alone, according to the UN. More displacement may occur as fighting is ongoing.
Last Updated: 28/01/2014 Next Update: 04/02/2014
