Perez, Caezar Noel P.

AB Political Science
Central African Republic
Good morning delegates of the house and chairperson. I come here from Bangui on
behalf of my people, the people of Central African Republic. Ive come here to speak of
the grave situation we face and of the situation of the humanitarian workers who are
trying to assist us.
Everyday thousands of my countrymen lose their lives. Our villages are burned to the
ground. Armed men from rival groups trawl many areas looting, killing, burning crops
and buildings. We are forced to leave our homes so that we could survive.
The conflict began in 2012 when Seleka, an armed organized rebel movement,
representing Muslims in the northeast of our country and other groups dissatisfied with
then President Francois Bozize, launched a major military offensive. Although the troops
were stopped close to Bangui, they seized power in March 2013 and their leader, Michel
Djotodia, became president of the Central African Republic.
On June 2013, the anti-Balaka group started to fight Seleka forces and attacked Muslim
civilians. Seleka retaliated by killing non-Muslims.
This conflict was mainly political at first. However, it is progressively taking a religious
character as there are increasing reports of retaliation killings by the Christian and
Muslim populations respectively.
Both Christians and Muslims have been victims of violent attacks in this conflict.
While I speak in front of you, several hundred thousand of my fellow countrymen
remain displaced; our children have been recruited by different factions partaking in
violent activities; and thousands of our women have been sexually abused.

With more than two years of civil war and sectarian violence, I almost lose hope for
our country. I felt that the rest of the world abandoned us. But then the United
Nations assistance came. The United Nations' Common Humanitarian Fund (CHF) has
released $13.2 million to help support local aid agencies deliver clean water, education,
healthcare, livelihoods support, nutrition, protection, and shelter to people displaced by
violence, returnees, refugees and vulnerable host communities.
The United Nations also send humanitarian workers. Their help was the reason why I
and my family, my friends and some others lucky enough are still alive. They gave us
shelter away from the fighting. They gave us food, food that we have no means of
acquiring. They treated those who were injured by the seemingly endless fighting. They
gave us a new hope. A hope that we can survive this conflict and that one day we may
find peace. We will forever be thankful for them.

However, they, the ones giving us hope, are not spared of the same dangers as we
Central Africans are facing. A food convoy of 20 vehicles escorted by the United Nations
Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic
(MINUSCA) peacekeepers, received gun shots that fatally wounded the driver and his
vehicle immediately reversed causing injuries to other passengers on July 18 near
Baboua.

Claire Bourgeois, the United Nations' humanitarian coordinator in our country, said there
had been around 50 attacks on aid workers in the last 12 months. According to her
statement, the number of humanitarian workers who have been killed, kidnapped, and
seriously injured in our country has reached a level never seen in the country before.
According to the reports, there are currently more than 2,000 aid workers in our country,
many of them trying to deal with whole communities that have been forced from their
homes.

Attacks like these dont happen in one day. They may happen during the day. They may
also happen during the night. They may be happening right now. We, the people of
Central African Republic, feel guilty that these people are losing their lives while helping
us. If only there is something we could do.
If only the conflict would stop. But Im afraid that it wont happen anytime soon. For as
long as the conflict continues, these attacks will likely happen again.
To everyone who hears me, I beg you. Please help us. Help us attain peace so that we
will not live in fear of being attacked, of being killed. So that no more humanitarian
workers will die doing their job in our country.
Thank you.