Aid groups in Central African Republic retreat amid threats

GENEVA – Four international aid groups will temporarily withdraw their workers from parts of northern Central African Republic because of increasing attacks targeting them, the U.N. humanitarian aid co-ordinator said Friday.

Spokesman Jens Laerke said the country is one of the world’s most dangerous and difficult for humanitarian work, particularly in the northern province of Ouham.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, Laerke said the international NGOs would move to the capital, Bangui, because threats against aid workers “have reached a climax.”

The four aid groups are Solidarites international, Intersos, Danish Church Aid and Person in Need Relief Mission. Laerke said other aid groups in the area are reducing their activities.

UNICEF said Central African Republic faces sporadic violence and instability after years of sectarian fighting, with some 890,000 people displaced inside the country and into neighbouring Cameroon.

It said over 2.2 million people need humanitarian assistance.