More than 2,000 ex-Seleka combatants at three camp sites in Bangui, Central African Republic, are given food assistance. Reintegrating ex-combatants into the community is one of the African Development Bank’s priorities in the country. Photo by: Catianne Tijerina / United Nations / CC BY-NC-ND
The Central African Republic has been mired in conflict for years, despite two peace treaties. An escalation of violence led many development agencies to suspend operations and pull out staff from the combat-weary country.
In March 2013, the Muslim Seleka rebel alliance staged a coup d’etat that forced then President Francois Bozize to flee the country. Alliance leader Michel Djotodia was then installed as CAR’s new president. But the regime change did little to end the political crisis. Nor did it inspire foreign donors to resume development support for the country.