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| June 4, 2008 |
In Birao, in northeastern CAR, women and children have been particularly affected by what they nervously call 'the events', the fights between the rebel forces of the Movement of Democratic Forces for Unity (UFDR) and the government forces.
In a previous post, we published letters from women who were victims of violence and recalled their personal and family experience. This time, Children are talking about the attacks. Under the supervision of social workers, they told their stories and drew the scenes they witnessed.
13 year old boy
I ran from Birao to Roukoutou. We crossed a river and once there, there was nothing to eat. We suffered a lot. So we learned to fish and hunt. We stayed there for 45 days before we came back to Birao.
But we had to leave again after three months, because of the second attack. During the second attack, between 6:30am and 1:00pm we were in the house. Dad went out and saw the flame that burnt our house. So we took the road to Roukoutou.
We ran all the way, until 8pm. We arrived there and ate fish and manioc. But there was no soap to wash the clothes.
We suffered a lot.
We stayed there for three weeks and then came back to Birao. When we arrived, everything was burnt. Nothing was left so our pain was even greater.
Now we have started to rebuild. Now we want peace.
12 year old boy
Me, I have suffered during the conflict. I ran to reach the bush, and kept running until Roukoutou village. There we suffered.
I picked up some small fish that the fisherman wasn't going to eat. My mother prepared it with water and salt. And we ate.
We hunted in the forest in order to find meat we could eat. We temporarily worked in Roukoutou's people's fields, in order to buy soap, salt, and sugar. We suffered a lot.
After all these events, I came back to Birao and I did not find anything in our property. Everything was burnt. We suffered a lot.
Me, today, I take some time to work for people who have money. I need to buy clothes shoes, for me and for my mother.
Now things are ok. We have rebuilt our house.
In the Vakaga region, NGOs and international organizations are trying to support the population who suffered from the violent conflict between rebel forces and government troops until last year. The ceasefire signed in April 2007 has noticeably improved the situation in the city of Birao, but the surrounding roads and villages are still periodically attacked by armed men.